The First Avatar: New Cycle
by Silver Omega 01
Summary: With no bending and the threats of the both man and spirit closing in on her, Korra must work hard to regain her bending under the tutelage of the very First Avatar. Struggling with training, war and her own heart, Korra faces the darkest possible thing; the Hell inside her own soul. A rewrite of my original The First Avatar; improved and expanded. Cover by Rikachan101
1. Book 1: Greed Chapter 1: Silver

**Hi, This is Silver Omega 01 finally returning from a long hiatus.**

**This story is an improved rewrite of my original story, expanded and altered, as well as completely adjusted for the revelations of Book 2!**

**I really hope you guys enjoy it! If you read the original version, try comparing the two!**

**Oh, and for new readers; My account is named for Silver, not the other way around :P**

**Enjoy!**

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**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 01: Silver

Korra's eyes shifted back and forth as she walked through the halls of the Air Temple. Asami Sato, her crush's girlfriend, was walking behind her, following the avatar to her new room. Ever since the incident with her father, Asami and the Fire Ferret Brothers were staying with Tenzin's family on Air Temple Island. Korra had been happy to offer the help, feeling responsible for what happened, but she wasn't prepared for the awkwardness of being alone with the wealthy woman.

"So, this is the female dormitory. Tenzin had a room made up for you, right next to mine. I hope you don't mind." Korra said sheepishly.

Asami chuckled lightly. "Korra, there's no need to be nervous. I'm not upset about what happened with dad." Asami paused for a second, before looking down, "Not with you anyway."

Korra sighed. It was more the Mako thing that had her on edge, but at least she knew Asami didn't blame her! Arriving at the room, Korra opened the door and grinned. "And this is your new home! Tenzin made sure to let us have single rooms so it's more comfy than the communal rooms. We have a private bath at the end of the hall and an outdoor hot spring as well, but that's meant for meditation."

Asami smiled at the little room. It was small and cute! Like a little inn room. "Thank you Korra, I'll be sure to thank Tenzin too!"

Korra relaxed completely, and began helping Asami unpack her numerous belongings. After about half an hour, they were interrupted by Pema, whom came waddling in, uncomfortable from her pregnancy.

"Korra" she began, clearly worried about something, "There is someone here to see you."

"To see me? If its Lin again, tell her I didn't steal her pastries!" Korra yelled, looking flustered. Pema and Asami knew this was a lie, as Korra could rarely resist the urge to indulge in sweets.

"It's not Lin, though she is here too. Korra, I think you should be careful. This person has Tenzin and Lin on edge, and anyone who can do that is either very important, or very dangerous." Pema warned, her concern becoming more prevalent in her voice. Korra became serious for a second and looked to Asami, whose expression mirrored Korra's. Silently slipping her Shock Glove into her jacket, Asami followed Korra and Pema to the courtyard. Despite the slow speed at which they moved, in order to accommodate Pema, they felt like the arrival at the courtyard came too fast. They were momentarily blinded by the light, as they had been inside for a while, but when they adjusted, Korra saw her visitor.

It was a woman, maybe in her twenties, sitting cross-legged on the stairs, staring quietly out over the sea and the city beyond it. Korra swallowed as she got closer. The woman's eyes were a deep blue and her hair was pure white. Her clothing was similar to a kimono, but it was pure white and incorporated a pair of tight white pants that looked almost like tights. There were several small blue details all over the outfit, and in the small comb that held her hair in a ponytail, a more feminine version of Korra's own.

Neither Tenzin nor Korra had to announce her presence before the woman turned to look at Korra. Korra felt her breathing become shallow as the azure eyes looked back and forth, taking in every inch of Korra's form. The Avatar felt strangely cold beneath the gaze, almost like she was completely bare.

Silently, the woman stood up and raised a hand, beckoning Korra to her. Almost without thinking, Korra staggered forward and stopped just an arm's reach away from the girl. She looked younger close up, almost the same age as Korra.

"Ahem. Well Korra, this is our… guest." Tenzin began, before the woman interrupted.

"My name is Silver. Silver Uzume. And no, Silver is not my real name, but a nickname." The newly introduced Silver said, her voice youthful, but motherly.

"I'm Korra." The Avatar responded, gently shaking Silver's outstretched hand.

"I know who you are, we've already met!" Silver chuckled.

"We did? When?" Korra asked.

"Seventeen years ago, when you were first born. When I turned you into the Avatar." Silver smiled.

Korra and the other onlookers stared silently back at the white haired girl, Korra and Bolin's mouths hung open a little and Mako's eyes went wide as saucers. "Um, I think I misheard you." Korra began, trying to rationalise the statement. "I mean, you don't look more than a few years older than me! And people aren't made into Avatars, they're born like it."

Silver chuckled. "Not true, on either front. You become an Avatar after birth, but within a few minutes. And I am far older than you or anyone here. In fact, I predate the Avatar Cycle."

Korra's nervous smile became a sudden serious frown. "This isn't funny anymore. Just who the heck are you!?"

Silver smiled again and pulled Korra towards her, so their faces were only inches apart. "I am Silver Uzume. I am the First Avatar."

Tenzin frowned deeply while Korra and the others reacted with shock and fear. "Y-you can't be! This has to be a sick joke! Are you with Amon or something!?" Mako yelled, taking a step forward, ready to attack. He hesitated when he noticed Silver's eyes flicker toward him, and then back to Korra, whom she still had gripped by the collar.

"I am not with Amon. As an Avatar and a Bender, I'm against his views, or at least his methods. And I don't lie without an incredible need to." Silver said, backing away from Korra, whom seemed to be in shock.

Asami and Bolin moved to be on either side of her and Mako and Lin edged closer as well, planning an explosive counterattack if Silver tried anything. Korra found her voice again and looked Silver dead in the eye.

"Say I do believe you; what do you want with me? Why are you here?" she asked.

"I am here to train you Korra. There is a lot more going on in the World than just Amon, and you need to be prepared. You should also know that you won't master airbending without my help. I want to help you, and can be a very good friend if you let me." The alleged Avatar said, stepping forward.

Korra didn't move as she tried to process all of the information. It had to be impossible… There was no way for this woman to be the First Avatar! Even the first wasn't an immortal being, and how else would she have lived for all these years! But despite every logical part of her telling her it was wrong; Korra couldn't bring herself to distrust this woman. "Prove it to me. Bend all the elements at once." She said, deciding on a test.

No matter what, if she couldn't bend the elements, she couldn't be Avatar. Silver smiled at the proposition and stepped away from the others, going down the short flight of stairs to the wider courtyard. As Korra and the others stood to watch, Silver breathed deeply and spat a small ball of flames from her lips, before balancing it on her finger. She then tapped the ground with her foot and raised a stone seat for herself to sit on, before gathering an orb of water from a nearby puddle of rainwater and then finished with a flourish of air to return her to the standing position. The moves had been delicate and refined, but undoubtedly bending.

The watching audience gasped with surprise and amazement. It was guaranteed, she was an Avatar; maybe not the one she claimed to be, but at least a powerful one. Korra ran down to where Silver stood and offered her hand. "I guess that proves you're an Avatar. Sorry for not trusting you." the water tribe girl said, smiling slightly.

Silver shook her outstretched hand with a big grin. "It is fine; you had no reason to believe me. I know you still doubt that I am the first, but that will be proven with time. Now, I need to do something important before I can train you, but will you accept me as a master?"

Korra looked nervous. "Well, I already have a master. Tenzin is my teacher. And what would you need me to do anyway?"

"Korra, I think it may be worth taking her offer. If everything she said is true, I may not be able to help you airbend." Tenzin said, swallowing his pride in the face of this new master for Korra.

"Tenzin is right. He will still be an important part of your training, but I need you to do something; kneel before me." Silver said, becoming serious. Korra scowled at this; she really didn't like bowing to others; even if it was only a sign of respect.

"Okay then." She sighed, kneeling down. She felt a little bitter at being made to bow, but soon this thought had vanished, as Silver swept behind the younger girl and pressed two fingers into her forehead and the side of her throat. Instantly, Korra let out a weak cry and her body convulsed. A pale white light began to shine from her eyes and mouth before disappearing like mist.

Korra, feeling sick and scared, slumped forward. She tried to stand but her legs were too weak to support her. A sudden weight dropped into her stomach. Had Silver just…!?

Desperately, Korra pounded the ground, but it would not move to her will. She punched the air but no flames, or even smoke appeared. Lastly, she shakily tried to grip the water that had gathered on the ground, but it didn't even ripple.

Her bending was gone.

"Y-You stole my bending!?" Korra cried; her voice breaking.

"What!?" Tenzin yelled, and Korra's friends quickly moved to surround Silver, ready to attack.

"Give it back to her! Do it now!" Mako roared, hot flames burning around his hands.

Silver glared at him. "No. Her bending was weak, and her spirit was even weaker. In order to restore her to the level of an Avatar; she must begin from scratch; just like the First Avatar!"

Mako growled like an animal. Hearing Silver refer to herself in the third person only served to add fuel to his raging fire. Bolin and Asami were seething too, with Asami already sporting her electrified glove which crackled menacingly, and Bolin shook the ground slightly; leaving tiny cracks in the floor.

At once, all three pounced on Silver; shooting fire, rocks and electricity in all directions. Silver wasted no time in chi-blocking both of the Fire Ferrets before turning on Asami. The two women locked hands as they pushed against each other, but Silver diffused the energy that was coursing through her. Without the added power of the glove, Asami was weaker than Silver and was quickly thrown to the ground to join Korra and the two boys. Lin moved to stop the fight, but Tenzin got in her way; knowing even she would be no use here.

"Silver, please stop this! Is there no way to train Korra without taking her bending!?" Tenzin begged; looking desperately between the calm Silver and the nearly catatonic Korra.

Silver looked at Korra as she answered him. "No. I wouldn't have done it otherwise." She said, before kneeling beside Korra. "I know this is hard, but trust me. Your power will return; stronger than ever. For now, rest." And with that, Silver raised her palm to Korra's face. A wave of exhaustion hit Korra and she slumped backwards; Silver catching her just short of hitting the hard stone floor. Lifting her into her arms, the First Avatar stood and walked with Pema to Korra's bedroom.

"It will be hard; but it'll all be normal soon; I promise…Raava."

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**Well, that was the first chapter. I'll be releasing them as I write them, so please be patient!**

**I hope you enjoyed, and i'd appreciate hearing your thoughts in either a review or a PM!**


	2. Chapter 2: Beginning from Scratch

**This chapter is a little slower than the last one, but i'm trying to get the pacing right.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

**And a big thanks to all those people who reviewed!**

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**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 02: Beginning from Scratch

It was a long 48 hours before Korra awoke from her deep slumber. She awakened in her room, Pema sitting quietly near her with a book in her hand; reading peacefully. The long sleep had done well to erase the sickly feeling left by the loss of her bending, but it had done nothing to quell the emptiness that ran rampant in her heart.

She wasn't the Avatar anymore…how could she be without the ability to bend? Hot tears began to form in her eyes and she closed them again, bringing her arm to her face to wipe the tears away. The movement caused Pema to turn to her.

"Korra. I know you're awake." She said gently, placing a hand on Korra's.

The younger girl opened her eyes again, letting a few stray droplets run down her cheek.

"P-Pema." She choked out.

"Oh Sweetie." Pema cooed, helping Korra sit up so they could embrace. Pema felt great sympathy for her; Korra had always defined her worth as a person by her skill as an Avatar. She considered herself to be nothing else; in her own mind, "Avatar Korra" was the only important thing. "Just Korra" was a worthless person.

Pema frowned and began to wonder; 'Maybe this is good for her…she is more than just another Avatar. This will force her to see it.' the pregnant woman thought, gently stroking the sobbing girl's hair. "Korra, it's alright. Everything will be fine. I know it seems bad now, but you can get your bending back!"

"B-But what if I can't change!? What if when I finish my training, I'm still the same person; I'd be useless as an Avatar!" Korra choked.

"No you won't! Korra, you are not just an Avatar; you are a seventeen year old girl who has seen so little of the world! There is so much left for you, outside of being an Avatar. Even if you never became Avatar again, you would still be a good person. You are not useless!"

Korra looked away from Pema, to the door that had just opened. Silver was standing there, an expression of anger on her face. "You are not pathetic Korra, so I never want to hear that junk from you again! Got it!?" Silver demanded.

Korra could only manage a weak nod, but Pema could tell that the yell had helped her. Silver may be the perfect person to show Korra her worth. With a kind smile directed at Silver, Pema stood up. Korra got up with her, noticing she was now wearing an orange sleeping gown.

"Your mother and my mother-in-law changed you while you slept. Your clothes have been washed and put in your drawers." Pema smiled.

"My mom and Master Katara are here?" Korra asked, partly excited. Her excitement was quickly dashed. "Is my dad here too? He'll be really disappointed."

"Yes he is, and no he won't. I already explained it to them. Your mother has a heck of a hard slap." Silver said, rubbing her cheek.

Korra gulped. "My mom slapped you? She must be really angry! She's never laid a hand on me or my dad… She's scary when she's angry."

Pema smiled broadly. "All mothers are scary when their babies are threatened or hurt! She calmed down and is waiting for you to wake up. Senna was actually in here until I made her go get some air."

Korra nodded and asked for Silver and Pema to leave. Quickly changing into her normal outfit, she neatly folded the borrowed gown and took off to see her parents. In the two days she had been asleep, a lot had happened for Republic City. Tenzin and Lin had reported to the council on what had happened with Korra, and they had in turn informed the rest of the world.

Many dignitaries had moved to Republic City so they could get word straight from Korra about her status. When the now powerless Avatar arrived in the communal gardens, it was practically an elite garden party! Katara and Previous Fire Lord Zuko were talking quietly in the corner, with their children and grandchildren, while Korra's friends stood with Korra's parents. Of the other elite people present, Korra only recognised Tarrlok and the Republic City council.

"Korra! You're awake!" Bolin yelled, drawing all attention to the newly arrived girl. Without missing a beat, Senna and Tonraq ran to her and swept her into a big hug.

"Oh my baby, are you okay? Tenzin told us everything." Senna said, clearly concerned.

"I'm fine mom. None of this is permanent. Silver will train me and I'll be an Avatar again soon. I promise." Korra said with a reassuring smile.

"Korra, we don't care if you'll be Avatar again! We want to know if YOU are okay." Tonraq said, frowning a bit.

Korra didn't really know how to respond to that, as she still didn't see herself as being anything but an Avatar. Silver shook her head and went up to the gathered dignitaries. "As you can see, she is alive and healthy. She'll be returning to her Avatar duties before long, so return to your kingdoms."

The dignitaries that Korra didn't know; an Earth Kingdom man and a Northern Water Tribe official both nodded and left; clearly no longer interested now that it was clear she was alive. The other members of the Republic City Council gave Korra their best wishes and left, leaving only Tarrlok and Korra's friends and family. "So, this Silver is the one responsible for the disruption? I don't suppose any of you are actually going to do anything about it, are you?" Tarrlok said, crossing his arms with a displeased expression.

"Silver is not an enemy, nor a criminal. If Korra wants something done, we'll do something but otherwise, this isn't our business." Tenzin said, angrily watching Tarrlok for any signs of plotting.

"I'm not going to do anything. I think she was being honest; so I'll trust her. For now anyway." Korra said, looking at the girl in question.

Silver smirked. "trust me? That's more than I expected. We'll start now, if you want. First lesson is to get Tarrlok off this island!" Silver said, giving a cruel smile to the councilman in question.

"I don't need to be told twice. I'll leave." Tarrlok grumbled. Silver didn't miss the sideways glance she got as the councilman left, and she couldn't help but shudder at the ghost of a smirk that had graced his lips.

'he's up to something' The First Avatar thought. "Well, I think I'll back off for now. Korra, I will train you soon. I want you to get used to living without bending for a little while. It will help you understand better."

"Understand what?" Korra asked.

"How a non-bender lives. You will need a strong body, mind and spirit to succeed in my training. Spend time with friends; I'll be back very soon." Silver said, disappearing with a flash of light.

When Silver left, Tenzin placed a hand on Korra's back; gently taking her to where Katara and Zuko were standing. Korra was well acquainted with her Waterbending Master, but the man beside her was a mystery. Zuko had aged well, his face becoming wrinkled and his hair becoming silver, but he was still very much a handsome man. Like his uncle before him, he had kept a muscular appearance, even in his old age.

"Korra, it is an honour to finally meet you. I am sorry about your recent troubles; I wish you the best." Zuko said; bowing his head slightly, which Korra mimicked.

"Thank you, Lord Zuko. I wish we could have met under better circumstances." Korra said, smiling. Katara could see it was a fake smile; Korra was still very hurt inside.

"Korra, you have met Tenzin, but not my older children. I'd like to introduce Bumi, my eldest, and Kya; my one and only daughter." Katara placed her hands on her children's backs. Bumi was dressed like a Military man and he had done his best to tame his wild hair, though it looked like it always did. Kya on the other hand was much more casually dressed; her grey hair in dreadlocks and her clothes were just a simple water tribe garb.

"Greetings Mini Dad!" Bumi yelled, scooping Korra up in a bear hug.

"She has a name Bumi. It's nice to meet you Korra." Kya said, smirking as she shook Korra's hand. Both Kya and Katara giggled at Korra's stunned expression, and only laughed harder when she jumped a few steps back upon being let go.

"And I am Iroh. We haven't met before, but I have been meaning to introduce myself for some time." A well dressed and handsome man said, stepping forward from beside his grandfather.

"General Iroh? I've heard of you. I followed some of the adventures your ship went on when you were still a captain. I'm a fan." Korra said, smiling broadly.

Bumi frowned dramatically after seeing that he had lost her attention to Iroh, but the other adults that were watching smiled. They knew Korra was the adventurous type, so maybe a little time with Iroh would help her forget things.

The day moved on and gave way to night, and the new generation of Team Avatar laughed and enjoyed stories of Iroh's adventures, Bumi's mad tales and even stories of the last Team Avatar. When Silver returned, she joined the adults in watching the young ones laugh and play. "While they're distracted; I want to talk about their training." Silver said, still smiling, but obviously more serious.

"Their? You're training more than Korra?" Tonraq asked, looking sceptical. Call him bias, but he wanted the focus solely on Korra, considering the emotional stress the last few days had caused.

"Training all of them; Mako, Asami, Bolin AND Korra will help them bond as a team. It'll also help Korra realise that she doesn't need to do things alone. Besides; I want strong people with her at all times. Amon might know about her state of weakness and will likely try and kidnap her." Silver explained. In truth, Silver doubted that Amon would know, if he was really moving as fast as she believed.

"You realise that we still don't trust you." Senna said, bitterly looking at Silver.

Silver sighed; "I can't change that right now. If you all have issues with me, then feel free to watch the sessions; but I need to do this my way. This means no interference from anyone."

Senna's face went red and she was about to scream at Silver when Tonraq placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. As much as Senna hated Silver for what she had done to Korra, she wouldn't let herself jeopardise her baby's chance of being whole again. Tenzin also agreed to give his support on behalf of Asami and the boys, whom had no guardians to speak for them.

Eventually, the evening came to an end and everyone wandered off to bed, one by one. Lin returned to her home in the city and Katara and Zuko retired to the guest house of the temple. Tenzin waited until all but him had gone before approaching the First Avatar, whom stared out across the starry sky.

"Lady Silver, I must ask. What do you stand to gain by interfering with Korra? Also, do not think I don't know the old tales; especially around Avatar Wan." He began.

Mentions of Wan caused Silver to turn her head slightly, before going back to the stars. "Wan came after me."

"But he is the First Avatar." Tenzin said.

"So am I. We are both first, just in different ways. As for Korra…she reminds me too much of myself at that age. I need to help her be prepared for the choices to come." Silver said, bored with the discussion. Tenzin had tried questioning her the previous few nights, but she had never been responsive.

"You may want to prepare her, but I have a duty of care. I must protect Korra and do my best to serve her as a spiritual mentor. That is my duty to my father's legacy."

"Legacy huh? Was a big statue not enough for Aang?" Silver joked.

"Silver." Tenzin said; his voice serious.

"Calm down. My only remaining interest is helping her. I left the rest of my life behind over ten thousand years ago."

Tenzin did not question further, as it would be like trying to get blood from a stone at this point. Sighing heavily, he turned and walked back to the temple, leaving Silver to her thoughts.

"Amon, Tarrlok and that other one are all here, in this city. Things are about to get tense." Silver muttered to herself, before disappearing back into the spirit world, where her home was. For now, she would rest. Training begins tomorrow.

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**Like i said, a little slow. Next chapter will give us our first sight of Amon and will reveal a little bit more about Silver.**

**Wan and Raava are in this story, and i haven't changed the existing Avatar Lore, just added and worked around it.**


	3. Chapter 3: Silver and the Masked Man PT1

**Chapter 3! This and the next chapter are based around the same theme as Chapters 3-4 of the original, namely a meeting between Silver and Amon. It's a two parter and will give some insight into both Silver, my version of Amon and some of the powers that will be shown in this version of my story.**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers!**

**Enjoy!**

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**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 03: Silver and the Masked Man PT.1

It was an early and rude awakening for Korra and her friends. One by one, Silver walked into their rooms and dragged them out of bed, making them all wash and dress quickly, before making them eat an abnormally large breakfast.

"Trust me, you'll need it." she had said, a smile on her face. That alone had scared the teens, but Silver's notoriety since the incident with Korra only added to the possible danger that she had planned.

Like soldiers, they were marched out and lined up in the courtyard, with Silver walking up and down, occasionally stopping to look at one of them or squeeze their arms. Both Mako and Bolin flinched when she placed hands on their heads and necks, but she didn't take their bending. After doing the same to Korra and Asami (much to their confusion), Silver stood before them again and made her final judgements.

"Mako, hot-headed but passionate. Tries too hard to appear cool. Somewhat reliable. Skilled with Fire and somewhat skilled with Lightning. Bad at conserving energy."

Mako just looked on; clueless, trying to process what Silver had just said, but the First Avatar was already moving on to Bolin.

"Bolin, light hearted and jovial. Poor at sensing atmospheres. Protective and friendly, while being skilled with Earth. No skill in Metal and has excellent agility for an earthbender."

Bolin was a little more pleased with his judgement, but not so happy at being told he couldn't read the atmosphere! Then again, he admitted that he put his foot in his mouth sometimes.

"Asami, intelligent, strong and independent. Durable for a rich girl and remarkably agile. Physical strength is lacking and practically no strong defensive capability. Non-bender."

Mako and Bolin looked jealously at Asami, whom smirked; happy enough with her judgement. But then it was time for Korra. The three already knew that without her bending, Korra had taken a heavy hit to her self-esteem, so they hoped Silver would go easy on her.

"Korra. Powerful offensive fighter and decent defensive fighter. Smart, when she applies herself. Tends to be impatient and rash and makes a lot of mistakes, but is generally quick to learn and correct herself. Agile and physically tough. Lacks spirituality. Currently a Non-bender." Silver finished, looking satisfied. Korra didn't seem to be upset by the judgement; in fact she looked quite pleased with herself.

"So, what was the point of that? Did you just feel like pointing out all our flaws?" Mako said, sulking.

"I don't like keeping things a secret unless it's for the best. I wanted all of you to know exactly what I thought of you." Silver said, smiling smugly.

"you think like a tactician then." Asami said; an eyebrow rose at the First Avatar's odd behaviour.

"Who cares about that!? When are we going to start training!?" Korra yelled, pumping her fist with anticipation.

"Well, since you and Asami are non-benders, you will be learning some advanced martial arts and chi-blocking. In the process, I hope to educate you about your enemy. In the meantime, Mako; I want you to practice hard on your lightningbending. And Bolin, I suggest you track down Lin Beifong. Metalbending would be insanely useful." Silver said, grinning widely.

Mako nodded and wandered off without a word, secretly happy he didn't have to spend time with Silver, whom he still distrusted. Bolin was less happy to be away from Korra and the others, but decided Lin would be his best shot at being in Korra's league when she finished her training.

With the two boys gone, Asami and Korra looked at each other expectantly; eager to begin.

"We'll be going into the city today. The Triad territories to be more specific. We need to find an Equalist safe house and join up with them." Silver smirked.

"Join Amon!? Like a spy mission?" Korra said, clearly excited.

"Yep. I already got some uniforms in our sizes from the police station. I didn't exactly get permission, so tell no one." The white haired girl said, pulling some packages from inside her sleeves.

Ignoring how Silver had found out their sizes, Asami and Korra ran off to put the uniforms on, as well as a grey cloak, which would prevent anyone from telling who they were, or what they were dressed as. They returned to find Silver already changed; her kimono neatly folded and placed on the steps of the courtyard.

"Did you actually change right there?" Asami asked, blushing slightly.

"Yes, I'm a little surprised you two didn't. There's no one else here after all…" Silver said, confused.

"Except you and each other…" Korra muttered, her cheeks a little red.

Silver laughed at them both, amused by the habits and sensibilities of this generation of girls. Deciding not to embarrass them further, they got on the first ferry to the city and walked to the darker, seedier districts. Amon had set up safe houses everywhere, but the easiest to find were all in the Triad controlled neighbourhoods.

Eventually, they ran into a small crowd that was wondering around a dilapidated old office building. Korra recognised one of the men as the doorman from the rally she had been at with Mako. slipping on their borrowed masks, they approached.

An older gentleman in a somewhat tattered suit scowled at them. "You three! What are you doing wearing that in broad daylight!?" he growled.

"We were hunting benders all night, just got back! Is Amon still here?" Silver asked, acting serious and tired, like she had really been out all night.

"Amon is still watching the recruits train. If you need to report to him, do it soon." The old man said, glaring at Asami and Korra, both masked and clearly uncomfortable.

"Are those two, newbies?" another man asked, eyeing the girls carefully.

"Yeah, they only got the uniform a few days ago. Still a little shaky, but I'm showing them the ropes. Another time friends." Silver said, placing her arms around Korra and Asami to calm them. She kept them there until they were out of sight.

"That was tense." Asami said, breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Tell me about it… If we had been caught there, I'd be a one way trip to Amon!" Korra whispered, fear in her voice.

"You two aren't defenceless! Chi-blocking doesn't work as well on Non-benders, unless you adjust how you do it. If you ever get caught, you'd have about ten seconds before they fully caught on that their tactics won't work. That's enough time to run." Silver said, scowling slightly. Asami and Korra nodded before putting their masks back on and following Silver into the building.

They entered the foyer and approached a well-dressed woman, whom was busy talking on the phone. Silver made an unusual hand gesture by extending her middle and little fingers, which caused the woman to smirk and push a button on the underside of her desk. A sofa on the otherside of the room began sliding up the wall, revealing a trap door. Once the girls were in the trap door and had entered the dimly lit tunnel, Korra whispered to Silver.

"How did you know to do that?"

"I arrived in the city about a week after you did. When you issued your challenge against Amon, I began spying on them, in case I needed to sneak in and rescue you." Silver replied; a bemused grin hidden behind her mask.

"If you were already spying, why did you bring us here too?" Asami asked; her distrust in Silver showing.

The white haired woman frowned, "Spying is only our secondary objective. I need to learn more about Amon's plans and you two need to learn some Equalist fighting styles. If we get lucky, you can do it directly from Amon. Now hush up, we're here."

Korra and Asami turned their attention back to the tunnel, which had now ended in a large subterranean hall. Water poured into the room from the city's rain canals, and the glistening blue drops contrasted sharply with the blood red banners which hung on the walls. Several equalists, masked and unmasked, were lounging around on battered couches and futons, while a group of casually clothed people were on a raised stage, performing coordinated martial arts movements, following the examples of a masked man with a funky moustache and another one, who's appearance caused Korra's heart to beat faster than ever.

"Amon…" she muttered, terror thick in her voice.

"Cute, the girl has a crush!" a nearby equalist laughed, seeing Korra shaking while keeping her eyes glued on the man. Silver chuckled nervously, gripping Korra's hand.

"No, she's just a little star struck! She's been eager to train under Amon for a while now!" she said, making quick excuses as she squeezed Korra's hand. The pressure helped bring Korra back to Silver, before making her look down with disgust.

'Damn it! I knew he scared me, but this is too much!' she thought, realising how much her lack of bending had amplified her fears. Ironic, since she now had nothing to fear at all.

Cautiously, and doing their best to keep a low profile, they approached the stage; Silver bowing respectfully to the two Equalist leaders. "Greetings Sir, I have a couple of newer sisters here, they were hoping to have a training session with you both!" Silver said, distorting her voice slightly, much to Korra and Asami's confusion.

"Hehe, they heard that Amon was here and wanted personal training huh? He won't teach you how to take bending you know, that's his gift alone." The lieutenant said, grinning maniacally. This was a much different side to the man that Korra knew, having fought him recently at the Probending championships.

"At ease, neither of you have anything to fear from me." Amon said, noticing Asami and Korra's shaking. "I know you aren't in disguise; I can sense benders."

Korra looked to Silver for a second, whom didn't react; how did he not sense her then? No longer afraid of being found out, Korra and Asami relaxed a bit, amusing Amon and his Lieutenant.

"Ha! I love the newbies, they're always so jumpy. Well, get up here if you want to train. What about you Sister? Will you be joining us?" the Lieutenant asked as Korra and Asami climbed on to the stage.

"No Sir, I need to speak to my friends about an assignment. I'll take my leave." The disguised Avatar said before walking away and out of sight. Korra and Asami felt less confident now that they were alone, but soon found themselves swept up in the training. Their existing martial arts training helped them catch up and keep up with the others, and impressed Amon and the Lieutenant. When it came to actually sparring, Lieutenant showed them all the important pressure points and chi release spots; which would let them disable bending and even specific parts of the body. Within an hour, Korra was able to hit the easier points, but she still put too much force into it; causing Asami to scowl as she rubbed her dead arm. Asami was much more delicate and actually grasped the basics very quickly, leaving Korra a pile of unresponsive limbs, making both girls giggle a bit. The giggling stopped however, when Amon came over and began to lightly tap Korra's body, releasing the blocked pressure points.

"Um, Thanks. Sir." Korra said nervously; almost forgetting the title.

Amon frowned beneath the mask; he had heard that voice before… it wasn't the most distinct, but it stuck out in his head. Maybe she had been at a rally? Or maybe he'd overseen a training session from before she got the uniform?

"Sister, have we met? You seem familiar." Amon asked, helping Korra to her feet. She was almost knocked back on her backside by the question. Her heart stopped, as did her brain; leaving her a stunned and terrified statue. Asami began to panic and making excuses, but neither Korra nor Amon were listening as the Equalist leader reached for Korra's mask, and pulled it away.

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**I love cliffhangers :D**

**Silver has an unconventional way of thinking, so in her mind, the best thing to do when training is to sneak into the enemy base and learn straight from the main boss himself.**

**Next chapter will conclude this mini-arc and then we'll be meeting some old friends.**


	4. Chapter 4: Silver and the Masked Man PT2

**And here is the concluding part to this mini arc. i took a slightly different direction with it, since i wanted it to work out a few things that were left over from the original version**

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 04: Silver and the Masked Man PT2

After leaving Asami and Korra to train under Amon, confident that they wouldn't be discovered, Silver went in search of a friend she had made among the Equalists. He was a homeless man named Kujak that had joined after his wife and children were burned to ashes, along with his house by the Agni Kai Triad.

He was a bitter old drunk, but unrelentingly loyal to his new allies, so he had welcomed Silver with open arms. The white haired woman found him hunched over an old table, a bottle of cheap liquor lying forgotten by his side.

"Kujak, it's Syla, are you awake." Silver said gently, using her fake name.

"Eh? Syla… You're finally back. Got a lot of orders to pass on. The big boss is really speeding stuff up." He slurred, turning to look hazily at Silver. His dark grey hair and beard were wild and matted, having been left to grow uncontrollably, alongside its owner's drinking. Beneath the matted hair, he was a handsome, if plain man from the Earth Kingdom; he had come to Republic City for a better life… not like it worked out.

Silver gave a sympathetic smile and sat with him. "So, new orders. Care to pass 'em on." She grinned, her mask still hiding her face.

"Yeah, sure." He slurred. "The lieutenant has had all the squad captains prepare emergency drills. We expect Tarrlok and the Avatar to make a move soon, and we need to break out old man Hiroshi. Then it's just stockpiling the last of our supplies and BOOM! We capture the city." Kujak grinned madly, fishing another bottle from his pocket and downing it in one swig.

Silver cringed at the smell, not liking the cheap, sugary alcohol. "That's good, I'm a little antsy. I've been hunting down triad thugs for too long." Silver said, not really lying, as she had taken out a few; just not for the Equalists.

"By the way, Amon's looking for someone quick to get into the prison. Gotta be fast to get between the watchtowers. I recommended you, do ya mind?"

Silver smiled. "I'm looking forward to it! When is it?"

"I ain't got the exact details, but it's gonna be on the next Full Moon. Amon is always testy around that time."

The disguised Avatar made a note of it and decided to tell Lin when they next saw each other. Just as Silver was thinking up what other information she might need, she heard Asami babbling away on the training stage. All the colour drained from Silver's face instantly, as she saw Amon reach for Korra's mask and pull it off.

Korra closed her eyes tightly as she accepted her fate; Amon would try and take her bending, and when that didn't work; he'd either imprison her… or worse. Then he'd probably bust Asami, and then Silver! No one would be left to stand against him. As Korra fought to stop herself crying with despair and helplessness; she felt her own hair fall out of the mask and land around her face. She had undone her wolf tail and bangs before putting the mask on, as it wouldn't have fit otherwise.

"She does have a familiar face, but I don't think I've seen her before. Probably just saw her once in an training session." The lieutenant said with a shrug. Korra looked at him with shock; He didn't recognise her!

It dawned on her that without her clothes and hair style, she probably didn't look much like the Korra that everyone knew. Smiling with relief, she looked up at Amon, hoping he would be satisfied. The masked man was hesitating; clearly not happy. "You look like the Avatar." he said, bringing his hidden face dangerously close, so he could speak in her ear.

"I-I'm not her. Try and take my bending, you'll see!" Korra whispered desperately. Both Silver and Asami looked on, preparing to make a run for it, if she needed to. Amon didn't need telling twice and lifted a hand to her forehead. Nothing happened; no burst of energy or show of resistance; just a flinch from where his warm fingers traced the centre of her forehead.

"Indeed, you are innocent. An unfortunate face you were born with, Miss…?"

"Senna." Korra said, using her mother's name.

"Miss Senna. I apologise if I caused distress." Amon said, bowing his head slightly. Korra nodded, not knowing how to respond and the training resumed; with Korra keeping her face exposed. Silver and Asami could only sigh in relief, but Korra wasn't as convinced that her lie had worked. Amon still looked at her with unsure eyes.

As Korra got back into the training; her body began to move on automatic, leaving her mind to wander. Amon's touch had been different from Silver's; when Silver had used her technique, it felt like a ghostly hand had wrenched a piece of her soul out, leaving her feeling cold. But Amon had caused her to feel hot, like her blood was on fire! Neither sensation had been pleasant…

'Maybe it was because he's a non-bender…or maybe it's because I am.' Korra thought, landing a quick jab in Asami's thigh. Asami noticed the change in Korra's fighting as the girl's attention wandered away. She seemed to fight better when she wasn't focusing on it; like she was going on automatic.

Instinct, was the word that stuck out for her.

Eventually, the other recruits began to drop like flies, all of them sweating and breathing heavily. Neither Korra nor Asami were particularly tired, but they stopped too, and took a moment to sit down and rest. Amon still hadn't stopped giving Korra looks, and it was beginning to bother her, and Silver.

The First Avatar ran over when she saw the training end. "You two okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, just a little worn out. I'll be fine in a second." Asami said, her breathing only slightly faster.

"Me too. The thing with Amon scared me though." Korra admitted.

"I'm not surprised, I thought our cover was blown for sure there!" Silver laughed. "I think you've learnt enough for now, and I got what I need, so let's go."

The girls nodded and got up from the stage, bowing in goodbye to Amon and the Lieutenant. Once the three had entered the tunnel, Amon turned to his Lieutenant. "I'm going for some air. Do as you please."

"Yes Sir."

Silver's group had gotten halfway up the tunnel when Amon ran past them, stopping a few steps ahead of them before turning back. "Who are you three. Or should I say, you TWO. Isn't that right, Korra?"

Korra's face fell as she saw her disguise had failed after all, and Silver reacted quickly, stepping to guard the two girls from Amon. Her eyes fixed on Amon's, with only the thin green glass of her goggles between them. "I got a good look at her face when we met at Avatar Aang's memorial; did you think I would not notice? But right now, I want to know who took your bending."

"That was me." Silver said, still in a combat stance.

"Oh really? I would love to know how you did it." Amon said, his voice sounded jovial, but it hid a layer of anger. Korra had been his triumph after all.

Silver didn't hesitate to remove her mask, allowing her long white hair to fly out just as Korra's had. With a single graceful shake, it fell neatly around her shoulders. Without it being tied up with her comb, it fell to the small of her back.

"Silver." Amon muttered, his eyes widening madly.

"He knows you?" Asami asked, keeping her identity hidden.

"We know each other alright. It's been a while, "Brother". Been behaving yourself?" Silver mocked. They weren't siblings, but Silver enjoyed teasing the man.

"So, you really are here. Did you decide to forgive humans and return to the living world? Or do you want vengeance." The Equalist asked.

Knowing that he may give away information that she didn't want Korra to know yet, Silver bent a quick burst of fire at him, making Amon spin and side step just in time to see Silver darting past; Asami and Korra in her arms. Amon could not react fast enough and it took only a few seconds for Silver to be half way across the district, moving with speed that no mortal person could accomplish. It wasn't until she was sure that Amon had not followed them, that Silver finally released Korra and Asami.

"What the heck was that!?" Korra yelled, dizzy from the quickness of the last few seconds; her hair wild and untamed from the wind.

"I asked the Air Spirits to help me move a little faster. I needed to be away from him; he still makes me feel weird." Silver said, hugging her arms.

"You two definitely know each other. Who is he? Really I mean." Asami asked.

Silver sighed and sat down. They were on the roof of a small office building, not unlike the one they had just fled. "We met and spent time together over a decade ago. It was actually before either of you were born. And it would be pointless to tell you who he really is; neither of you would know him. In fact, I don't know anyone who would." 'Save for that man…' she thought bitterly.

"But what kind of relationship did you guys have? Friends, enemies, acquaintances?" Korra pressed, wanting to know more.

"I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me, but on this, I really need you to do so. Do NOT press this issue. It will end badly. He is our enemy, what he used to be is no longer relevant." Silver said, looking sternly at both girls. Asami, whom had unmasked, looked away from the glare but Korra stared back, more curious than ever. Losing her bending had made her fears flip around to the point that she wasn't afraid of Silver. After all, Korra thought the worst possible fate was to have her bending stolen.

Silver sighed as she realised that she had a lot more work to do when it came to making Korra see herself in a better light. "Come on, let's go home. We need to report something I heard back to Tenzin and Lin."

The three girls stood up and Silver took their hands before rushing to the temple, walking over the water with the same blinding speed. Korra didn't know how Silver managed it, but she was determined to learn it!

Back in the Equalist Hideout, Amon was sitting on the edge of the training stage, his eyes fixed firmly on the tunnel entrance. After all these years, Silver had returned. But why? Did she want to kill him or take something? Was she after revenge or did she decide to side with the Avatar against him. But then why take her bending!? These questions caused Amon to let out a quite growl before he stood and left; returning to his own home in the city.

In his own home, the voice of that woman refused to leave Amon's ears. Her eyes still reflected in his, and feel of her energy as she bent flames at him and then flew past him… It all stuck to him like an infuriating leech. Walking to his bedroom, he reached into his hood and pulled at the strings behind his head. The knot came loose and the porcelain surface slipped from his face. Keeping his eyes fixed on the ones of his mask, Amon placed it down, resisting the urge to smash it. Even this mask, the mask he got from "Her" couldn't be expelled from his mind.

"Sneaking into my midst and passing yourself off as an ally. Still, at least Korra is no longer a threat. Still, being a double agent…"

Amon looked into the mirror of his vanity.

"Two can play at that game."

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**Amon was not happy at all. I wonder what he is planning :D**

**This chapter hints at Silver's past and her unknown relationship with Amon, but these questions won't be answered for a fair while.**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5: Tahno

**This is the chapter which reintroduces an old friend. It has a very different tone to the original version.**

**Currently, i have all chapters up to chapter 8 written, and i churn out about two a day. I'm undecided on the book length, but it will likely be either 20, 25 or 30 chapters per book.**

**Well, i hope you enjoy!**

**Special thanks to my reviewers!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 05: Tahno

It had been a week since the espionage mission at the Equalist Hideout and Korra had perked up a fair bit since then. Her training with Silver had yet to go beyond physical combat, but the elder Avatar had wanted Korra to ease from the things she was good at, to the things she wasn't.

While Korra seemed happy, very few others on the island matched the sentiment. Mako still resented Silver for causing so much distress and he had little to no trust in her. He had even confronted her on why she kept sending him to train alone, but Silver had responded quickly. "Seeing you bending all over the place might make her feel inadequate! If you want to train beside her, either wait until her elements are restored or give up your bending."

It had told Silver a lot about him when he hesitated, but said he was willing. The hesitation alone was enough to make Silver refuse; one damaged teen at a time was enough. Bolin had asked if he could join as well, but upon getting the same response, he relented. He would be no good for Korra if he couldn't bend, so he'd be patient. And in the meantime, Lin enjoyed having a new student to torture!

Meanwhile, Tenzin was getting constant pressure from Tarrlok to do something about Silver, whom he clearly wanted gone. It was all his siblings and mother could do to calm him down. Zuko on the other hand was more forceful; sending Iroh to his superiors within the United Republic's Navy. Iroh warned about the possibility of either an attack from Amon or a coup d'etat from Tarrlok.

It seemed like everyone was preparing for war, but Silver would be damned before she let Korra realise that.

"You're getting a little faster, but you still take too long to move from one move to the next." Silver said, watching with crossed arms as Korra sparred with Asami, whom wore padded arm guards.

"I know, I just can't move any quicker!" Korra said, frustrated.

"I think we need a break. I can't keep this up much longer." Asami panted, her arms feeling heavy from the barrage of punches and kicks. Even with the padding, enough force got through to tire her out.

Silver sighed; the girls were tougher than most, but they were still soft. They'd need to be much stronger, in body and spirit before they could face the threats that Silver had foreseen. "Okay, we'll stop for today. Get some rest, you'll be back at it early tomorrow." Silver told them.

Smiling, Korra and Asami walked to their rooms to change into fresh clothes, with Silver wandering lazily behind them. She leaned against the wall between the two rooms' doors as their occupants changed, chatting as they did so.

"I'm going to find Mako had go for a walk, maybe a picnic. What about you?" Asami asked.

Korra paused at the thought of Mako, but shook it off, leaving only Silver to notice.

"I think I'll go to the city. I want to take a look around, now that I've got a new perspective."

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Asami asked, concerned.

"Naga will go with me." Korra replied.

The First Avatar felt a warmth in her heart; her training had done a lot to bring the two girls together, and despite their wildly different lives and personalities, they had grown to be good friends.

"If you don't mind the company, I'll go with you." Silver said, secretly planning to watch Korra's reactions to the new perspective she now had.

Korra came out of her room, wearing the same outfit, but fresh. "I'd like that. I haven't really gotten a chance to know you yet. I'll go get Naga and wait at the pier. Meet me there, okay?"

Silver nodded and waved as Korra disappeared into the main temple. Feeling a pair of emerald eyes on the back of her neck, Silver turned to look at Asami. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't do anything to hurt her, okay." Asami said, seriously. "She's my friend; and one of the few I still have."

Silver smiled. "No problem. You know, for a rich girl, you're remarkably kind to the common folk."

"Common doesn't describe Korra at all. She's as uncommon as they get." Asami joked before leaving herself.

The white haired girl chuckled quietly to herself; admiring how much these young ones cared for each other. Little did she know, but she was about to see even more kindness on the behalf of her apprentice Avatar.

She and Korra were walking down a busy market street, Naga plodding along behind them, when Korra stopped to look in a shop window. It was a café, with a bakery attached and many fine looking cakes in the window. "They smell great." Korra said, closing her eyes and smiling at the sweet scent.

"Did you want to stop here? If you do, I can find a good place for Naga." Silver offered, knowing a pet shop in the area that catered to interesting tastes in pets.

"Sure, thanks! I'll buy you a cake too, I have a few yuans left from the probending matches."

Silver nodded and took off with Naga, leaving Korra to enter the café alone. It was a nice little family run business, with polite waitresses and a kindly old lady behind the counter. "Hello dear, would you like anything?" the lady asked.

"Um yeah, could I have one of those and…one of those please." Korra said, smiling politely.

"That'll be seven yuans." Korra pulled a small fur purse from her pocket and was just about to pull a couple of notes from it when a familiar face appeared beside her.

"I'll pay for the lady; a pot of tea and another of those pastries as well, if you wouldn't mind." The man said, his flamboyant hair flicking against Korra's nose as she turned to face him.

"Tahno?" she said, surprised to see the former wolf bat.

"Been a while, hasn't it Uh-vatar. Or is that not your title anymore." Tahno said, a bit of concern in his voice. The rumours had spread after a few important people with loose lips had blabbed to the public, and now Korra's status was a subject of gossip in the city.

Korra's eyes avoided Tahno's, making the man sigh. "He got you too…" he muttered.

"That's not true. Come on, I'm waiting for a friend, but we can catch up a little in the meantime." Korra offered. Accepting the offer, Tahno took the food and tea to a cosy table in the back of the café, where there wouldn't be too many eager ears. The two caught up with everything that had happened to themselves since their last meeting.

Korra felt odd to be socialising with Tahno, especially since his team's bold faced cheating had cost the Fire Ferrets the championship. Still, now that they'd both lost their bending, they were practically on even ground. The young woman was sad to hear that Tahno had been dropped from the team, along with his friends.

"My sponsors wanted nothing to do with me after the thing with Amon. No bending and little to no money… all I have are my savings and the worth of my apartment." Tahno muttered, gripping his cup.

"If you're so tight on money, why pay for this? You should let me." Korra said, finishing the last of her cake.

"I owe you. I did some pretty sleazy stuff during our match. If it means anything, I really am sorry." Tahno said, looking Korra in the eye. The Water Tribe girl smiled back at him, making a certain someone chuckle.

"Having a nice date, Korra?" Silver asked as she joined them.

"It's not a date! Just catching up with an old friend. I saved you a cake, courtesy of Tahno." Korra half-shouted, her cheeks becoming flushed. Silver only laughed harder and sat between the two.

"Thanks Korra, and you too, Mister Tahno. My name is Silver; Korra's current teacher." She said, offering a hand to Tahno. The wolf bat took it cautiously, scowling a bit.

"You're the one who took her bending…she's been telling me everything." Tahno spat.

Silver smirked but Korra wasn't so happy. "Tahno, please don't. It's not like with Amon; Silver did it for my own good… it's just hard to see it that way sometimes. I was actually hoping that she might be able to give you your bending back."

Tahno looked to Silver with an uncertain face, but Silver nodded. "As First Avatar, I'm sure I can remove the spiritual block that Amon has put on you. I'm well aware of his technique. Stand still, this won't take a second." Silver said, standing up and dragging Tahno to his feet.

The former bender flinched when Silver put her fingers in the same places that Amon had, but smiled a bit as her spirit began to do its work. Ever since losing his bending to Amon, he had felt a kind of heat in his head; like a fever. But Silver was like a cube of ice, gently cooling the worse parts until his head felt normal. A tiny bit of light escaped from the tips of her fingers as she removed them from Tahno, but Silver was too interested in watching Tahno's face.

He was making a funny face of relief, which was hard for Silver to ignore. Tahno sat back down abruptly, like nothing had happened. He was looking into his half-full tea cup, hesitating. He didn't want to be disappointed if it hadn't worked…or if it had been a cruel trick.

Korra, having more faith in Silver, gave him a hopeful smile, coaxing him into trying out his abilities. Slowly, Tahno raised his finger and slowly drew circles in the air, making the tea in his cup follow it like a tiny whirlpool. A spark began to emerge in his eyes and he raised the other hand, lifting the tea from his cup and freezing it, thawing it, boiling it and then finally cooling it to drinking temperature and pouring it down his throat, all with bending.

"You…she…Thank you. I mean that. Thank you so much, both of you." he said, choking up a bit from the joy. Tahno was tough, and he rarely allowed himself to cry, but for the first time in weeks, his depression was lifting and he felt whole once again. "Thank you!"

Silver smirked and waved the thanks off, happy enough to have done a small favour for Korra. The girl in question was just as elated as Tahno, and was filled with a new hope of getting her own bending back at the end of this training.

When it came time to leave, Tahno paid and the three left together, walking to pick Naga up from the pet shop owner, before going to the pier. Tahno was about to leave when Korra pulled him back. "You're coming too. You paid for lunch, so I should at least ask Tenzin if you can stay for dinner." She grinned.

"You've done enough for me, I really think-"

"Shut up and come already. When a girl wants you to stay for dinner, you don't refuse." Silver whispered to him, accompanying the words with a firm slap on the back. Tahno blushed for a second before forcing his cool guy act back on, just in time for the ferry to turn up. They had boarded and were waiting to depart when two more passengers got on.

Asami and Mako, just getting back from their date, got on too, bearing an empty picnic basket and a lovey-dovey aura. Korra looked away, feeling a little awkward, but the second Mako set eyes on her, Tahno put an arm around her. The waterbender had noticed Korra's sudden change in demeanour and decided to torture the one responsible; namely Mako, in the only way he knew how; making him jealous.

"What the heck is he doing here!?" Mako demanded. Tahno moved forward to butt heads with him and before anyone knew what was going on, they began to bend.

"Stop!" shouted Korra, only to be hit by an accidental bending attack, knocking her, stunned and bleeding, to the floor.

* * *

**A little cliffhanger to bug you guys with until tomorrow :D**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6: New Teammate

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 06: New Teammate

"That is enough!" Silver roared, bending water from the sea to bind and freeze the two boys. Asami was already at Korra's side, but the girl had already recovered. A small gash on her shoulder was bleeding, as an attack had knocked her awkwardly and caused her to catch her arm on the side of a metal crate.

"It's not too bad; just stings a bit." Korra said, calming Asami down.

Silver moved to heal the wound, but as she did, the two frozen boys began to yell at each other. "You jerk! You hurt her!" Mako yelled, trying to breath fire onto the ice to escape.

"Me? I didn't even move until she hit the ground!" Tahno yelled back, also trying to escape with his bending. For some reason, neither could bend the elements in their current state.

"There are water and fire spirits encased in that ice with you. Neither of you can bend until I thaw you out, now what the heck is going on!?" Silver demanded as she helped Korra to her feet, the cut on her shoulder healed.

"This idiot cost the Fire Ferrets the Probending championships! He's a complete cheater and he almost broke Korra's jaw with rock filled water!" Mako said, trying (and failing) to appear calm.

"I apologised for that! I'm trying to find a way to repay her!" Tahno shot back, less confident in himself than Mako, whom was admittedly on the moral high ground already.

"Well you can start by giving us the money you got from the match, and then getting out of our lives for good!"

"Mako, stop it. Tahno hasn't had it any easier than us in the last few weeks." Korra said, scowling at him.

Asami sighed, "I think you should calm down. We've already started sailing, and we'll be at the temple in a few minutes. We can have a proper sit down and chat there."

Silver nodded in agreement, glad that at least one of these teenagers could keep their heads. Though she admitted that Korra had kept her cool better than Silver had expected. The rest of the short ferry ride went in an awkward silence, with the only exchanged words being a quiet apology from Tahno to Korra, and asking if she was alright.

When they got to the island, Silver freed Mako and Tahno, but left a single wrist frozen on each of them, so they wouldn't go bending at each other. Tenzin greeted them in the meditation hall and after being filled in on the details, they all sat down together to discuss everything. Lin and Bolin were there was well, while Katara, Zuko and Korra's parents took a back seat to the conversation.

"Korra, are you certain you're alright? Silver said you took a nasty fall." Tenzin asked, concern on his face.

"I'm fine; it was just a little scratch. Besides, it was an accident." Korra said, waving him off.

"For as far as we know. With that jerk, it might not have been an accident." Mako said bitterly.

"I wouldn't ever hurt Korra! I'm in her debt more than you know!" Tahno yelled, beginning to lose his cool.

"So what, you manipulated her into getting Silver to give your bending back. You're just going to run off and be the same cheating jerk you always were!"

"No I'm not! I owe my life to Korra and Silver, and I'm never going to do anything to hurt either of them! More than could be said for you! I'm not stupid, I can see the constant dirty looks you give Silver. You hate her for what she did to Korra, but you can't see how it would help her!" Tahno yelled, standing up.

Tenzin frowned as he used his airbending to lightly force Tahno back to his seat, cushioning his fall as he did so. "It seems our little group is at a crossroads. Silver, you have become a point of argument for all of us. Is there anything you can do, to make us trust you more?"

"No, she doesn't have to." Korra said, crossing her arms. She looked at all of the people around her and did her best to sound mature, hoping they'd take her seriously. "Silver did what was best for me, and for the world. None of you may trust her, but I do. I have to. So if you have a problem with that, then please don't get involved."

Silver frowned. Korra trusted her, but only because she had no choice. That was aggravating. Still, it was more than Silver had hoped for in the short amount of time they'd known each other. "If it helps, I answer one question. Any question you want, and it will be a truthful answer." She offered.

Tenzin felt his heart skip as he realised he had the chance to discover the answer to the question that had been bothering him. But this was a question for Korra to ask; so he would be patient.

"I want to know your name. your real one." Korra said, not even having to think about it.

"I have three. But none can really be considered my true name…as I don't have one." Silver said, not too surprised by the question. "The first one I was called, and the one my guardians referred to me as was "L-01". My nickname "Silver" was given to me by my first friend, for the way my hair looks when I talk to spirits. and the last name I could be called, would be "Raava" which was what my brother called me." Silver said, noticing the look of surprise on Tenzin's face.

"Wait, what does L-01 mean? It sounds like a prisoner number." Mako said, his face shifting from anger to confusion.

"That's about as close to the truth as I want to go right now." The First Avatar said.

"Raava… you can't be." Tenzin whispered. Silver shook her head.

"I'm not the same as that Raava. I'm a different one." She said, whispering it in his ear, so no one else could hear it.

Korra looked happy enough to at least know a little bit about her teacher's past, but the idea of her having a prison number but no name worried her, and it raised suspicion in both Lin and Mako. It was also at this point that Senna began to really take notice. "If you have a prison number for a name, what crime did you commit?" she demanded.

"None. I was born in that place. Besides, it wasn't exactly a prison, but it was close enough." Silver said, trying to defend herself. She knew mothers were fiercely protective of their children, but Senna was on another level. Maybe being kept from Korra in her childhood had made Senna feel the need to compensate for it now.

"I still don't trust you. Why would ancient people lock up a random baby and not even give her a real name? You were born and raised in captivity, but to me, it sounds farfetched." Lin said, crossing her arms with a scowl.

Silver frowned and looked away from the group. "I can't do anything to prove what I say is true. I could prove my status as an Avatar, but beyond that, I have no way of proving what I say to be true."

"I think I believe her. It doesn't feel like she's lying." Asami said, a hand on her chin as she thought. As far as Asami knew, Silver hadn't actually lied to any of them.

"I'd have trusted her if she gave Korra the choice to give up her bending. If she had done that, I would welcome her with open arms." Mako said, knowing that Korra probably wouldn't have gone for it, if she had the option.

Korra knew this too, as did everyone in their group. "Well I trust her." Tahno said, both out of loyalty to Silver for giving his bending back, and spite for Mako.

"I do to." Bolin added, wanting to show solidarity for Team Avatar, which he felt needed Silver at this point. No Silver, meant no bending for Korra, which was not an option.

"I have to say I do as well. Sorry Mako, but we need to be together on this one." Asami added.

Mako grumbled under his breath before looking Silver square in the eye. "I'll trust you for now. But if you do anything to hurt Korra, Asami or my little brother, you'll be sorry." He growled, before getting up and storming off.

Lin and Senna still had their doubts, but didn't want to add another layer of argument to the already messy situation, and silently decided to watch the woman. Silver smiled a bit as the words of Bolin, Asami and Tahno caused her mind to drift back to her memories, travelling with her own team of misfits. It had been many years ago, and seeing Korra with an equally loyal group of friends brought a tear to her eye. Asami excused herself to go and calm her boyfriend down, and Bolin went with her. Tahno turned to Tenzin and Silver and explained his situation to them.

"I have a little proposal, if you'll listen." He said. "I'd like to join Team Avatar and train here with Korra. I'm willing to have my bending taken again so the two of us can learn waterbending again from scratch, and I'll even sell my apartment and give all money I have left to the temple in exchange for me staying here." He offered.

Silver smiled broadly, Tahno showed no signs of hesitating when it came to giving up his bending. He had lived several weeks without it and was even willing to give it up (albeit temporarily) to aid Korra. It warmed her heart and made Korra smile brightly, hugging Tahno tightly.

"I wish I could have met you like this all those weeks ago." She said, pulling away as she noticed an annoyed look on her father's face. Hugging boys may have seemed innocent to her, but Tonraq wasn't going to be as accepting on the boy front.

"Well, why don't you two act like this is your first meeting." Tenzin said, giving his silent approval for Tahno's request.

The idea sounded funny, but it was something Tenzin did with his kids whenever they got into fights. He'd make them reintroduce each other as friends, so they could pretend their fight had never happened. Korra embraced the idea.

"Well, my name is Korra. Nice to meet you." She said, giggling as she offered her hand.

Tahno smirked and shook it. "And I am Tahno, the pleasure is all mine."

The two teens laughed at each other for a good few minutes, with the adults smiling as they watched. It was nice to see Korra back to her old self, even if it was only for now.

"Tahno, I'm not going to take your bending away from you, but I am going to have you act as Korra's mentor. When Korra gets her bending back, it'll be one at a time; Water, Earth, Fire and then Air. I am going to fuse you with a small water spirit, which will stunt your talent. As you practice your art, the spirit will become more used to it and will slowly evolve into a stronger spirit. This will help you, Korra and the tiny spirit all at once." Silver said, opening her hand.

A tiny ball of water began to seep out of her skin and form itself into an egg shape, with tiny legs and even tinier arms. Korra noticed her mentor's hair turn from white to silver as she focused on summoning the little fella, which made her finally understand where her nickname came from.

"How can you do that? Summon spirits I mean?" Korra asked.

"When you become a friend to spirits, they'll be much more willing to serve you. An Avatar is more than a bridge between worlds, but is also like a mother to tiny elemental spirits, which feed off of your energy until they become big enough." Silver explained, as the tiny creature hopped off her hand and ran across the table to Tahno.

"Hello." It said shyly, it's voice like a small child's.

"Hi…" Tahno said, a little confused. He offered his hand to the spirit and like a jolt of lightning, it sucked itself into his palm.

"Whoa, I can feel it." Tahno smiled, a small feather like symbol appearing on his hand.

"Now that you've fused, your bending will be weak until you both get used to each other. I want you guys to go and rest for now. In three days' time, we're going to my home."

Korra and Tahno looked between themselves and then back to the other adults, but none of them knew what to think.

"Where is your home?" Korra asked.

"Where do you think silly?" Silver laughed. "In the Spirit World! We're going to find the givers of Waterbending."


	7. Chapter 7: The Black Sea PT1

**Sorry for not placing in AN on yesterdays chapter; the editor wasn't working properly!**

**I'm so happy that you all seem to be enjoying the story! the next few chapters will happen in the spirit world, namely in the oceans of it. We'll meet a few new friends and learn that some consequences can span lifetimes.**

**I hope you enjoy! And thanks to all my reviewers and readers!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 07: The Black Sea PT1

The three days of rest passed way too slowly for Korra's tastes. The girl was bouncing of the walls the entire time, refusing to stay still for any longer than it took to eat a meal and shoot off again.

Tahno spent the days selling off his apartment and numerous belongings that he no longer needed. He moved into the temple and became a common sight; trying to redeem himself by helping the acolytes and keeping Korra entertained. Just as Silver had warned, the little water spirit that now lived within him was messing up Tahno's ability to bend, making it difficult and frustrating to do anything he wanted it to. What surprised Korra though, was that Tahno had little conversations with the thing, saying he could hear it's voice in his head.

It was actually kind of cute, the way that Tahno would explain everything to it, the way a parent did with their child.

Even Mako, who still didn't trust Silver or Tahno, was a little bit ashamed of himself, when Tahno offered him a fat wallet, filled with the money that should have gone to the Fire Ferrets. Mako had refused it, and told him to give the money to Tenzin, but not without a reluctant thank you. Mako wasn't a bad person, he was just a little too hot-headed, not unlike Korra.

When the day finally came to go to the spirit world; Asami, Mako and Bolin met with Korra and Silver to wish them good luck on their journey, but Silver laughed them off.

"We won't be long. The Givers of Waterbending don't live too far away from my home." Silver said, estimating that they'd be gone for a day.

"Now, normally you can't bend in the spirit world, but since Tahno and I have spirits living with us, we should be able to. And if all goes well, you will be too, very soon." Silver smiled, looking to Korra.

"I'm going to get my waterbending back… It hasn't been that long, but it already feels like years since I last used bending." Korra said, an odd feeling in her chest. It wasn't a sad feeling either, which was even odder.

Silver, Korra and Tahno sat in a triangular formation in the meditation hall. Tenzin and the others all watched as Silver placed a tiny bell into a dish of water which sat between them. "This is the Spirit Bell. When rung, it will allow us to leave our bodies. It's used for those who haven't got a lot of spiritual awareness, like you two." The Avatar explained, lightly bending the water in the dish, causing the bell to ring, just one. Tahno's body fell backwards and with the second ring, Korra's fell too; their spirits being pulled high above the temple until they were piercing through the sky itself.

Upon going through the sky, the two teens found themselves falling onto a vastly distant landscape. Screaming as they fell, Korra noticed a vast black ocean, a fair distance away. Her thoughts were dragged away as she saw the ground rushing to meet her, but luckily, they landed with a soft thud.

Tahno stood up first, helping the dizzy Korra to her feet. "This is the spirit world?" Tahno said, looking around at the odd looking field they were in. It was like a field of wheat, but upon closer inspection, the wheat was…

"Sea weed?" Korra mumbled, stroking the odd, rubbery plant.

"Yep. This is the Spirit World's White Sea. We're actually about 100 feet below sea level right now." Silver smiled, appearing beside them in a flash of light.

"We can breathe here?"

"Yes, we're spirits at the moment, so we can breathe. My house is actually on an island, just above us." Silver said, pointing up. A single rock of land was floating high above them, held aloft by the invisible sea.

Tahno was enjoying the odd view, when he heard the familiar voice of his new spirit tagalong. "This place is nice…" he whispered. Tahno frowned and looked down, noticing that the little spirit was sticking his head out from inside Tahno's chest. It looked a lot more morbid than it was, but it still freaked Tahno out. This was probably why he hadn't noticed that the spirit had gotten bigger.

Korra laughed at the little spirit, before turning to Silver; "so where are these givers of waterbending?" she asked.

"Not far from here. We'll need to go to the Black Sea, just to the north. There we will find the domain of the Water Spirits, and their king and queen; Tui and La. Only they can summon the being which gives waterbending."

"Wait, Tui and La? As in the Moon and Ocean Spirits? I thought Tui was killed." Korra said, surprised.

"She was, but Spirits cannot die in the same way that humans can. She's slowly recovering, but don't comment when you see her; rumours say she is sensitive of her new appearance." Silver said, smirking a bit. The spirits had their own society, which wasn't unlike humans. The only real difference was that there was no war. That was enough for Silver.

"Getting Korra her bending back won't be that easy, will it?" Tahno asked, doubting that it was as simple as asking.

"No it won't. You will need to pass a trial of some sort, but it changes from person to person." Silver said, looking a little bit unsure. She had faith in Korra, but La had been vicious ever since the humans had killed Tui. He had even returned to the Spirit World to await her return and was not keen to leave again.

"Silver, I've been meaning to ask. What is the creature that gives bending?" Korra asked.

"The Spirit Cities. Creatures so large that Spirits build entire civilisations within them. Millennia ago, even humans could build cities on their backs." Silver explained, picturing the colossal, majestic beasts.

The talk turned to idle chatter as the three of them walked northward, towards a large black veil. Silver explained that the Black and White seas were actually spirits, or rather a hive mind of spirits that had slowly melded together. "Within this spirit's body, you will be able to easily see the ways you have changed throughout your lives. It's waters evoke fond memories of the past, and remind you whom you once were. That is the blessing of the White Sea."

"Does that mean that the Black Sea is the opposite?" Korra asked.

"Yes. In a way, just reaching the Water's guardians is a trial, as the Black Sea forces you to see the person you could have been. Both the monster you could be, and the hero. It tortures you with the changes you could have made to make a better life; it is not pleasant." Silver said, nearly in a whisper as she remembered her own journeys there.

Tahno and Korra looked to each other with worried faces, but decided to ignore it; they needed to stay positive. The White Sea caused Korra to remember how she used to be with her bending; rash, naïve but always well meaning. Korra knew she had never been perfect, but now that she was without her bending, she saw how little she had really changed. For the worst at least.

Korra with bending was a good person, but volatile and closed minded, but without it, she saw how the other half lived; the half she had once pitied. The life of a Non-Bender was not inferior to a benders… it may be harder in some respects, but it was not less important or less meaningful. Korra knew she had changed for the better, and upon reaching the boundary between the Black and White Seas, she focused on this; keeping it in mind as she crossed it.

A sinister wave came over the group and Korra gripped Tahno's hand, both for his comfort and her own. Korra then reached for Silver, whom would never admit it, but she really wanted the support here, just as Korra did. The only real difference in this sea was that it appeared to be night time; the sky illuminated by glowing jellyfish spirits and the occasional glowing fish spirit.

It was about ten minutes into the Black Sea that Korra saw something odd. A little girl was running and playing with other children. In a tiny pocket of this sea, it was snowing. It pooled on the ground and the children played loudly, singing and shrieking as they threw clumps of the cold white snow. Korra saw herself, only four years old, playing with them. She remembered this; it was when she discovered…

"OW!" a child shrieked, flames licking at his face.

"MONSTER!" another yelled as Young Korra tried desperately to control the flames.

This was wrong. The Adult Korra knew this had happened; it wasn't a "Could have" Like Silver said it would be… this was a memory! It was when Korra discovered she could firebend. She had hurt a friend and scared the rest. The boy she burned moved away from the South Pole after his family became afraid of her.

"This isn't right." Korra muttered, breaking away from Silver and Tahno.

"The Black Sea has a slightly altered effect on people like us Korra. Avatars in this place will be forced to face the things which make us guilty. Here, we are judged by our own memories and hearts." Silver said, rubbing Korra's back as the girl crawled into a ball, too afraid to keep watching.

"Korra, the way out of this sea is barred to those who turn their eyes from the truth. Look on, and accept your guilt." Silver whispered, lifting an affectionate hand to the younger girl's face. Korra nodded through tear filled eyes and stood up again, taking the hands of her companions.

The memory that she had seen began to warp away, showing a new version of these events. In it, Korra merely blew up her own snowman with fire, making the children shriek and laugh with amazement. The tiny flames she made acted like fireworks and only endeared her to her friends, showing Korra what would have happened if she showed more control as a child. While it was too late to change that incident, it wasn't too late to learn from it.

"I must change; learn to control myself and my power." She whispered, repeating the phrase like a mantra in her head. Silver heard the whisper and leaned in close.

"Change when it makes you a better person. Look." Silver whispered, pointing to the newly changed vision.

The scene played out again, showing Korra controlling her flames, but it began to warp, showing an older Korra; in her early teens, snubbing the affection of her friends in favour of continuous training.

"Change is neither good nor evil. Embrace that and change when you need to, and you can become a better person without sacrificing who you are. Korra is still Korra, no matter what."

Korra saw what her mentor was getting at, and smiled. Tahno, whom was facing his own demons, reached over and brushed the stray tears from Korra's eyes, making both her and himself blush.

With a feeling of confidence in her chest, Korra helped Tahno deal with his own demons, all of which showed him how much more of a better person he could have been. Tahno appreciated the help, but remained tight lipped on anything involving his family, and Silver didn't speak at all, refusing to tell either of them about her own life, beyond what little they already knew.

It was a journey that weighed on all their hearts, but after one long hour of the Black Sea, they came to a deep trench, too far across to be jumped and too deep to be climbed down. "Are we stuck?" Tahno asked wearily.

"No. The Court of Tui and La is just taking it's time." Silver explained. Korra and Tahno looked at her with confusion, but the ground began to tremble and the invisible water of the Black Ocean began to act like real water, slowing the traveller's movements.

"Here it comes!" Silver yelled and before anyone knew what was happening, a massive white shape began to emerge from the trench. It's massive shell was covered in snow and ice, shaped into a palace. It's massive claws dug into either side of the trench, keeping its position and its large manned head reared back and sighed.

Korra was dumbfounded. "A-A Lion Turtle!?"

* * *

**The story arcs where Korra get her elements back are a lot different than they previously were. No more turning into a spirit (per say)and likely no more trials. A different method will be used to show her mastery, but we'll come to that later.**

**Next chapter introduces some of this story version's unique background!**

**Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Black Sea PT2

**And now we get to meet our first Spirit characters!**

**The little Spirit that's with Tahno will play an important role later on.**

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 08: The Black Sea PT2

Throughout her life, Korra had never considered herself to be stupid, or lacking in intelligence. She actually had a remarkable memory when she was interested; which was how she mastered bending the elements so well the first time. But being faced with a being that had over ten millennia of knowledge certainly could make anyone rethink their own mental prowess.

Lion Turtles were the subjects of legends for years; with the legends being revived after Aang credited his victory over Ozai to a Lion Turtle, at least partially. These creatures had all of the courage, power, patience and intelligence of the two creatures it had spawned from…but the one that faced the two Avatars and their friend was…different.

"A-A Lion turtle!?" Korra had exclaimed, eyes widening as she took in this massive creature.

"A human? Do you want to play with me?" the creature asked, her voice booming, but unmistakeably young and childish.

Silver smiled as she raised a hand to pat the creature's nose. "This is Gali, daughter of the rising tides. The youngest of the four Royal Lion Turtles and the current queen of the Water Lion Turtles."

"She's huge…" Tahno said, his face completely blank from shock.

"How old are you?" Korra asked.

"14,562! I'm nearly entering the stage of life that you humans call "Adolescence". Then it's only another few millennia until I'm a grown-up." Gali laughed, unhooking her claws so she could climb onto the Black Sea Bed.

"Lion Turtles are usually adults by the time they reach 50,000, but those belonging to Royal families like Gali mature faster. She'll be an adult before 30,000." Silver explained.

Continuing her explanation Silver, hopped onto the top of Gali's head. "In the era before the Avatar; ten clans of Lion Turtle roamed the world, each holding the power over a different element. Four wielded the elements of the Mortal Realm; Water, Earth, Fire and Air. Two wielded the elements of the Spirits; Light and Darkness. Three held the powers of Life, Death and Balance, while the last wielded the power of pure energy."

"Wait, so shouldn't an Avatar be able to bend all ten of these elements?" Korra asked.

"No. The Avatar bridges the Mortal and Spirit Realm and can only wield the four mortal elements and the power of energy, which represents change and passage between states. While the Lion Turtle clans of Water and the other three mortal elements allowed their power to be shared with humans, the others didn't. Like humans, Lion Turtles eventually fell to corruption and war between their clans, forcing the Spiritual Clans to hide themselves deep within the Spirit World, and for the Clans of Life, Death and Balance to hide even deeper than that."

"It was a really bad time." Gali said, her voice slightly quieter (though her size made it a little hard to notice.) "I was only a hatching when the other clans disappeared. Some of the clans were sealed in the spirit world by the clan that controlled energy, so that they'd be forced by Spirit Law to stop their war."

"War is forbidden within the confines of the Spirit World." Silver reiterated.

Tahno felt the little spirit within him poke its head out again. "That's why spirits don't like humans. We don't understand why you'd want to hurt people like you."

"I think it's because they aren't people like us that drives humans to war." Tahno said, feeling odd to be talking to his own chest.

"But I thought all humans were the same? Are they really so different?"

Neither Korra nor Tahno knew how to answer the question, which pleased Silver. It meant that they'd be forced to really think about it. "We've been side-tracked long enough. Queen Gali, would you mind allowing these two onto your back? Korra needs to meet with Tui and La."

"Oh, okay. Please play with me soon though, okay?" Gali asked, giving her giant paw for Korra and Tahno to climb on.

"I'll definitely come back. If I'm going to be a good avatar, I need to be friends with all kinds of spirits and animals." Korra smiled brightly, making Gali laugh lightly. She and Tahno were deposited onto the top of Gali's head, right next to Silver.

Now that they were on her back, Korra could see the Court of Tui and La with a lot more detail. It wasn't unlike the ice cities of the North and South Poles, but it had an aura of unfamiliarity about it. It was all so similar, but with subtle things being different in a way that Korra couldn't put her finger on. The only thing she really noticed was that the icicles were upside down and all over the floor as well. When a snowflake floated up from the frozen ground, Korra realised what was going on.

"It's snowing from her shell. This place was built to be upside down." Korra muttered, surprising Tahno.

"You're correct. The reason Gali is royal is because, unlike normal Lion Turtles, she doesn't just possess the power of the element her clan controls and the power to pass it on, but she also has the power to give birth to water spirits. She is quite literally; "The Ocean's Source." The entire Black and White Sea was born from her, and the oceans of the mortal world were built by her ancestors." Silver explained as she walked them through the odd city. The only creatures here were anthropomorphised fish and amphibians, all mulling about like any other villager.

"Is it just me, or do they not even notice us?" Tahno asked.

"Korra and I are Avatars, so they are used to our presence, and you're fused with that little Water Spirit, so they don't notice you either. Spirits are instinctual creatures; they won't notice others like themselves unless you try to be noticed." Silver told him.

Tahno once again felt his spirit tagalong jump out of his chest and stare at him; "I was born in this place. I rode out of the Queen's shell on a snowflake and then Silver brought me to you." the little spirit said, a symbol, not unlike a smile, appearing on its face for a moment.

Continuing down the central road of the odd city, they came across a massive ice gate. Each gate was painted with one half of the symbol for Yin and Yang, but the gate with the white Yin section was damaged badly, and had been patched together with snow and ice from the nearby ground. "Spirits and Humans are much closer to each other than they realise. Ones actions can affect the other in a hundred ways. Killing Tui resulted in this gate being damaged to this extent, and that isn't even remotely the worst effect it has had on this part of the Spirit World alone, let alone the rest of it and the Mortal World." Silver lectured. She knew that Korra understood that things were never separate, and that everything and everyone was unified in some way, but that wasn't the purpose of the lecture.

It wasn't to teach her about the interconnectedness of all things, but an advanced warning. The Spirits were angry with the humans, and Korra was about to meet one of the angriest.

Silver reached out and opened the icy gates with her waterbending, giving silent thanks to the water spirits as she did so. Through the gates, they found themselves in a massive, empty courtyard. It was a place where it was very clear that a palace of some kind should have been there…but it was empty. Two thrones sat in the middle of the courtyard, each in the centre of a dot within a giant yin-yang pattern. While the one on the gate had been solid and plain, this one was intricate, its weaving patterns resembling a pair of circling koi fish.

"You have come, Fallen Avatar." an angry voice came. The source was sitting in the black throne; a single man, or man-shaped, being in a long dark cloak, as black as the ice he sat on. White markings decorated the robe in the same manner as the koi fish pattern at their feet.

"Fallen would not be accurate here La. But it is not too far from the truth." A young, feminine voice answered. A little girl, dressed in a robe, just like La's, but with the colours reversed, was sitting on the lap of a finely dressed woman on the White Throne.

"Insightful as always, Lady Tui." Silver said, bowing her head in respect.

"Enough with the pleasantries! Have the girl ask her favour so we can say no and get rid of the stinking humans!" La bellowed, slamming his fist down on his throne. Korra flinched away from the man, but was easily calmed by the woman that held Tui. It was undoubtedly Yue, as her face was just like the statues in the Northern Tribe. She had barely aged since her ascension to the Spirit World, but she was much more womanly know, appearing to be the same age as their guests.

"Lord La, you know it is not your place to deny the Avatar on your own. That is the deal you made to be bonded with Tui." Silver said, scolding the Ocean Spirit. The idea of scolding such a powerful being terrified both Korra and Tahno, but to their surprise, La backed down.

"That is a deal I have had a fair share of regret for. My bonding with Tui is what birthed the element of Water, and helped bring life to the entire human world. They have repaid us in the cruellest way possible." La said, calming down, but still clearly angry.

"All the elements of the Mortal Realm were born from the union of two great spirits. The Elements are like your children, and Korra here has lost the ability to commune with them." Silver explained.

"We are aware of that. Why would you take the power of the Avatar when you know it could bring ruin. As Korra is now without her power, the Light within her, and yourself has begun to wane. And that means that the darkness within the others will grow." Tui said, looking concerned. "If Korra doesn't get her powers back soon, she may die. And if she dies in her current state, the Avatar is finished. Forever."

"Wait, Korra can die if she doesn't get her power back!?" Tahno yelled, turning to Silver.

"Yes. By taking Korra's bending, I essentially bet her life against her ability to change. I also put my own life on the line, which should be proof of my faith." Silver replied.

Korra felt a flutter in her chest. She knew that life without her previous status would have been hard, but she never expected to die! But at least Silver had faith in her, but it only made Korra more afraid. The fate of the entire Avatar Line, as well as Silver's life, was now in her hands. Korra swallowed her pride.

Dropping to her knees before the two almighty spirits, Korra bowed her head to them. "Lord La, Lady Tui and Lady Yue; please restore my waterbending. I beg you."

Silver and Tahno looked on with wide eyes, their expressions of shock mirrored by the Ocean and Moon Spirits.

"If you think that I am unworthy, then allow me to gather the elements again and then allow another Avatar to take over and do what I couldn't." Korra said, her heart beating faster than ever.

"Well well, aren't you selfless. Willing to give your life are you? Aren't you afraid of dying." La said, standing up and walking to Korra, who kept her head bowed. The Avatar swallowed and looked up at him.

"No. I am afraid of dying but…" she paused, looking back to Silver. "Before I met Silver, the thing that scared me most was failing as an Avatar or losing my bending. Ever since I was four, my whole world has been my life as an Avatar. It's all I ever wanted to be! But, I'm weak. I'm stupid and have a bad temper and I'm more selfish than people think. I wasn't a good Avatar, and now my failure may lead to the world losing its guardian, and my mentor losing her life. I am terrified of dying, but I'm even more terrified of a friend dying because of me!"

Silver felt a tear prick at her eye. Like La, she had lost faith in humans after all the years of watching their wars and hatred. But also like La, she was beginning to see the good in them. If Korra was willing to throw her life away, just to give someone else a chance at being the hero, then maybe they were a race worth saving.

"Very well." La announced, roughly forcing Korra to her feet. "The Black Sea has made you face your guilt and it has shown you the necessity of change. But now, I want a promise from you." the Ocean Spirit said, lowering his hooded face to Korra's.

"You must promise to make reparations to myself and Tui. And you must also promise to turn the human race into a respectable people once again. Or at least set them on the right path." La offered his hand. "If you have shown me anything, it is that humans are capable of great change, so long as they have sufficient motivation! Agree, and you will have the power of water at your fingertips! Do we have a deal?"

Korra smiled widely, gripping La's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Yes, definitely. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to change the world, or make humans a better people. But I'll try as hard as I can to bring out the good in them!"

"Good. Then I best take you back to Gali. It is time for you to be a waterbender once more"

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**Well, i hope that was interesting!**

**A lot will happen next chapter, but it will interesting i hope!**

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Korra of the Ocean

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 09: Korra of the Ocean

With Korra accepting La's promise, Tui and La (with help from Yue) parted the black sea around them. As the water moved away, the night sky turned back into day and the citizens of the Court of Tui and La returned to their homes. Silver used her airbending to lift all six of them into the sky, so Gali could move back into the sea, so that only her front half was sticking out. Yue then used Tui's power to raise the water that remained in the massive trench, before freezing its surface; giving them a perfectly flat surface to stand on.

"This is our ritual of giving Waterbending. Normally, Waterbending and all forms of bending come from having the power installed by a Lion Turtle of the Ocean's Clan, or inheriting it from a parent. Korra, in order to restore your waterbending, and make it a part of your very spirit, you are going to be adopted into the Ocean Clan." Tui explained, allowing herself to be placed on the icy ground, rather than be held by Yue.

Yue continued her master's explanation. "Being a part of the Ocean Clan would mean that you are obliged to serve Queen Gali and the Spirits of the Moon and Ocean above the needs of any others. Human or Spirit. However, you are not forbidden from ever defying our word if it truly goes against what you believe in."

"And ultimately, to take on the name of this Clan, you must forever uphold its tenants! First; Guilt is not evil, it shows us what we must change to better ourselves and the World. Second; Change is the corner stone of all survival. That which does not change, can never survive. And Third; Bring both Happiness and Love to all you can, in the name of the Ocean." La finished.

"Will you accept this?" Queen Gali asked, pushing up her front legs, so she appeared more lion like.

Korra nodded and bowed respectfully. "I fully accept."

Silver stepped forward. "I will be her Clan Sister, and act as her spiritual mentor within the Ocean Clan."

"Very well. Korra, to complete the ritual, you must join with me for a moment." Gali explained.

"How does she do that?" Tahno asked.

Gali smiled and lifted one massive paw to her chest, which was covered in scales, and lifted one of the giant scales up. Behind it was a large hole in her chest, which went all the way to her heart. Unlike a normal heart, it wasn't red and beating, but it was instead clear as the sea, and filled with the ocean water. "Lay a hand upon this and my heart will let you in. We will become one, like the tiny spirit that lives in your friend, but only for a moment." Gali explained.

"Okay. I'm ready then." Korra said. Silver smiled and lifted herself and Korra up on an icy platform to where the hole in Gali's chest was. The young Avatar carefully leapt to the heart, which upon closer inspection, seemed to be vibrating slightly. Korra took a deep breath and placed her hand upon the heart, which felt like warm water. Instantly, it moved to grab her and pull her into itself.

Korra floated within the massive heart and recognised what the vibrating was. A quiet melody was playing within the heart, easing Korra's spirit. A vision of all of the world's seas came to her, and Korra saw all of the beautiful oceans, as well as the cruelty of the stormy sea, and the pain of the polluted. Gali's voice, along with the voices of the previous Ocean Clan queens began to play in her head.

"Korra of the Water Tribe and Avatar of the Mortal Realm, with the recommendation of Silver of the Energy Empire and previous Avatar of the Spiritual Realm, and with the approval of the High Spirits of the Moon and Ocean, we of the Ocean Clan greet you as our sister and daughter. Go forth into the world; Korra of the Ocean."

Korra's body was suddenly filled with a huge burst of energy, empowering her more than she had ever felt. In the throes of this new sensation, a new vision began in her mind; one of the ancient past.

She was in an ancient city, upon the back of a massive Lion Turtle that dwarfed even Gali. A baby's cry echoed throughout the city and the massive Lion Turtle smiled, opening its blood red eyes.

"Our new gods have been born." It said, a voice thick with malice.

Korra was startled awake, just like it was a nightmare. Around her was Silver and Tahno, both looking a bit concerned, and behind them was Tui, La and Yue.

"What happened?" Korra asked.

"Gali accepted you into the clan and you were filled with the same power of Water that she had. Then you starting having some kind of seizure and was ejected from Gali's heart. You've been on the floor here for the last few minutes." Silver said, worried.

"Had us worried, Uh-vatar." Tahno said, smiling cheekily.

Korra pouted at him as Silver helped her to her feet. With a single movement of her hand, the oceans water, which had receded back to where it was before, began to churn around Korra.

"Careful. The Spirit Waterbending that you know have is a lot more potent that it was before. Now, your bending is not a simple power that you hold, but an instinct so deep within you, it will feel as simple as breathing. I'll be helping you control this new power. But until you get it back to full strength, you'll essentially be a Novice. Like the Water Spirit inside Tahno is making him." Silver said, carefully bending the water around Korra, to stop her from accidentally bending it.

La stepped forward. "Now that you are an Ocean Clan Member, I will be able to speak to your spirit whenever I choose, as will Tui and Yue. If I have need of you, I will let you know. Now be gone, I have no wish to spend more time with humans."

Tui and Yue looked disapprovingly at him, and Gali looked disappointed. "We'll return to my home in the Spirit World, before going back to the Mortal World. Thank you for your assistance, great spirits." Silver said, bowing.

Gali and the Spirits gave their goodbyes and Silver quickly swept herself and her two companions up into three balls of air, before rocketing them up and out of the ocean. Out of the seas, they found themselves looking at the true Spirit World for the first time. The sky was a beautiful blue and from above, the seas didn't appear to be black or white, but a deep, dark blue. No land could be seen for miles, but a massive tree could be seen on the horizon.

"My home is on a little island, just over…there!" Silver said, smiling as she spotted it and bent them all towards it. They landed with a light thud on the little island, which was big enough to have a small manor house, though Silver's actual home was a simple cottage, in a style that Korra and Tahno had never seen.

"It's modelled after the one I had in the Old Energy Empire. Back before it was destroyed by Wan and the Spirits." Silver said, smiling as she walked across the soft green grass to her front door.

"Who's Wan?" Korra asked.

"You'll learn soon enough, but for now, let's rest here before going back to Tenzin and the others." Silver said, dodging the question.

Silver's house was built in the shape of a stone dome, with four cube like protrusions. One of these had the front door, which Silver was already going through. Korra and Tahno followed curiously, noticing that the room they were now in was rather small. It was simple living room, with a stair case going downward inside an alcove at the other end of the room. The underground floor was a fair bit bigger and was a second, larger sitting room, with multiple doors which presumably went to the bedroom and kitchen.

"You two sit down. I'll be back in a second with some tea."

The two didn't need telling twice, and they sat quietly on a sofa, opposite the roaring fire place. Silver returned with a small tea pot and a collection of cups, and began pouring tea for them all.

"This is a pretty cosy place. But why build it in the Spirit World?" Tahno asked.

"I fell out with humans about seventeen years ago. So I came here. I only came back a short time ago."

Korra frowned. "Does you falling out with people have anything to do with me? I mean, you disappeared at around the same time I was born."

"It was the same day actually." Silver said simply. "I visited Aang in his final moments, so I could take the Avatar Spirit to the next Avatar, as I had done so many times before. The hundred year war, and the conflict surrounding Republic City had begun to ware my patience, but when I was attacked by some rogues and brought to their hidden sanctuary, I lost what little patience I had. I passed on the Spirit and left straight after."

"You were captured? But by who? And how did they manage that!?" Korra asked, concerned that there were people who were powerful enough to do that.

"An old organisation. For years, they had acted as guardians and friends to the Avatars, but the new generation decided that controlling the Avatar would be better than serving them. They used a gift, given to them by an incredibly powerful Dark Spirit, to steal my free will. But in the end, they were too weak to control me for long, and I escaped. However, I realised my mistake in sparing their lives too late, and they poisoned the spirit of the next Avatar."

"Who was it." Korra asked, becoming scared.

"The White Lotus. Their master was Lord Iroh's apprentice; a firebender with incredible malice in his heart. He became the new master after Iroh disappeared into the Spirit World. He eventually convinced the other leaders to imprison you at the South Pole, hoping to blind you to the chaos that was occurring in the world around you." Silver explained.

Tahno balled his hands up into fists. "They still have sentries in the Air Temple! They're watching Korra at all times."

"Not quite. The sentries have all been possessed by tiny spirits under my command. Whenever they look away from Korra, they forget what she was doing, so they can't report back. The Sentries don't even realise I am there, nor that Korra hasn't got her bending." Silver laughed.

Korra wasn't so amused. "They tried to control me, just like they did to you. I never knew how much the world had gone out of balance before I came to Republic City. They were hiding it all from me…trying to turn me into their servant. Their slave…their pet."

"And it was only to avoid losing Tenzin's trust that they allowed you to stay, under their watch. If they knew I was here, they'd kill you and simply take the next Avatar. Since they fear that with my training, you will be too powerful to be controlled. It took all of their masters to control me for only a few days, and your will is stronger than mine." Silver said, smirking a little at Korra. It was that incredible will, even when she was a baby that led to Silver choosing Korra as the next Avatar.

"I want to do something about them when we return home. I can't let what they've done be left unpunished!" Korra said, getting to her feet.

"Deal with Amon first. He is the only real threat you need to deal with. After all, he possesses one of the seven Black Spirits."


	10. Chapter 10: Tale of the Seven Sins

**This will be the first real mention of the Black Spirits, which act as the overarcing villains of the story.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 10: Tale of the Seven Sins

The Black Spirits. What these beings were was the question which plagued Korra's mind. Silver refused to divulge what they were until after they had returned to the Human World. When they finally had, Silver sent told the entirety of Team Avatar that the full moon was coming in a few days, and that she would return the day before, giving them all time to rest.

On the day before the Full Moon, Korra was left training slowly with Tahno and Katara, who had been helping her regain her waterbending control since Silver had left.

"Your waterbending has never been so powerful, but it's so odd that it isn't responding in the same way it used to. I'm a little bit jealous of you though; getting to meet Yue again." Katara said, smiling widely as she watched Korra slowly attempt the water whip.

"She was beautiful. More than anyone I've ever met…" Korra said, remembering the woman whose appearance could only be described as divine.

"She was pretty hot." Tahno added, smirking. Korra gave him a scolding look, but Katara just chuckled to herself. As the two waterbenders continued to train on the docks of the island, Tonraq and Senna walked down towards them. Senna was scowling, which meant Silver was back.

"You kids look like you're having fun. I don't remember training being so light hearted when I was a kid." Tonraq laughed.

"Not like you took it seriously anyway, from what you told me." Senna said, laughing at the look she got from her husband. "Anyway, Korra; your other teacher has just turned up and wants to talk to all of us. Something about Black Spirits."

Korra sighed at her mother's way of referring to Silver, but it wasn't worth getting into an argument at that moment. "So she's finally going to tell us about them. Finally, it's been bugging me ever since she told us that Amon had one. Let's go." She said, grabbing Tahno's hand (much to his pleasure) and running off to the meditation hall, which had become Team Avatar's meeting place. When they arrived, Mako and the others were already there, with only Korra's parents and Katara left to join them.

"Have you guys been training hard?" Asami asked, giving Korra a sly smirk. She thought that there was something between the two waterbenders. Well, everyone but Korra seemed to think the same thing, which annoyed Mako and Bolin.

"Yeah! You should join us, I miss training with you. No one else here can make me work as hard as you in physical combat." Korra smiled, sitting beside her. Asami and Korra had become close friends, with Korra almost completely forgetting that Asami and Mako were currently dating. Not that she had had the time to obsess over boys.

Silver was sitting quietly at the head of the small table they had, listening to the conversations of the others around her and using the Earth to observe where Tonraq, Senna and Katara were. When they finally arrived, Silver weathered the usual scowl of hatred from Senna, and then got to business.

"Right. I'm going to tell you about these Black Spirits. It's a bit confusing, but I'll try to explain it in a way that anyone can understand." Silver began.

"Us too?" Ikki asked. Silver liked the Airbender Kids, so was always happy when they and their mother jointed these little meetings.

"You should be able to. So don't worry!" the Older Avatar laughed.

"Now. I should explain that while there are a huge number of different kinds of spirits, most can be fit into specific classes. Elemental Spirits and Animal Spirits are self-explanatory, as are Human Spirits, but some are a little bit different. Divine Spirits are spirits which rule over specific aspects of the world and usually act as kings and queens to the lesser spirits. Tui and La are Divine Spirits. As well as this, there is a second kind of almighty spirit; called an Anima Spirit, named for the Divine Spirit that created them. Only seven exist, and their power is roughly half of a Divine Spirit's." Silver explained.

"What type does that make the Black Spirits?" Tahno asked.

"Well, there are only Seven Black Spirits, which should make it obvious. The Anima Spirits were meant to act like a set of scales; balancing two conflicting aspects of humans; one virtue and one sin. This duality led to them developing two personalities and two bodies. A white one, and a black one. As they absorb the energy of surrounding humans, which most spirits do passively, so they can survive; an Anima Spirit will begin to tilt to the side of the spectrum which is strongest. Take the Anima of Greed and Generosity. If the people around the spirit are more greedy than generous, he would become the Black half, making him a Black Spirit."

"So there is an Anima spirit inside Amon, and it's absorbing the dark side of people's energy, making him a Black Spirit, right?" Jinora said, smiling a bit in the hopes of being right.

Silver smiled back, "You are correct. Currently, all the Anima Spirits have become Black Spirits, and some have been stuck like that for years. Centuries even. Black Spirits corrupt the Spirit World and turn its inhabitants into Dark Spirits."

"And the Spirits blame us, which is why they don't like humans, right?" Korra asked.

"Correct as well. So far, the only Black Spirits that I could find were Tan of Greed and Fen of Wrath. Tan is the one that resides inside Amon, though I don't know if Amon is aware of it."

Korra and the others looked at each other, wondering what to do. It was Lin that spoke first. "The Full Moon is tomorrow night. I think all of us should be ready to fight against Amon when he moves to attack the prison. We can deal with this Tan spirit then. Silver, are you still planning to sabotage them from within, or does Amon know that you are Syla?"

"No. He doesn't know. No one ever saw my face, so I wore a ring over my clothes as an identifier, but I took off whenever I was around Amon. I can't show it around him, since he'd recognise it instantly." Silver said, showing a platinum band that was around her ring finger.

"How would he recognise it? Come to mention it, he already knew you when we met him at the hideout." Asami said, remembering the rather scary encounter she and the others had.

"He saw it a long time ago. I'm sure he wouldn't mistake it. But if I'm careful, I may be able to sabotage them. If all else fails, I have another ally in the Equalists who would help in my stead." Silver said.

"Who would that be?" Lin asked, crossing her arms with irritation.

"A Firebender named Kye. She's been installed as both an Equalist, and a prison guard. She owes me a favour, so I told her to go there when I was compromised by Amon." Silver explained, fishing through her Kimono pockets. She eventually pulled out an old sepia picture and showed it to Korra and the others. It was of Silver and two other women; a fierce looking woman with light coloured hair, and a peaceful looking one, seemingly older, whose hair colour was indistinguishable within the sepia photo.

"Kye is the angry looking one. She really hates being in peoples debt. I'll contact her and tell her to go ahead with the plan for tomorrow night. I think that myself and the teen benders should guard Hiroshi's Cell directly, while Tenzin and Lin, as well as her militia, hide around the prison, or disguise themselves as prisoners. It should let us catch Amon off guard." Silver explained, pocketing the picture again.

"Who is this woman exactly? A friend of yours must have something strange about her." Senna said, Mako and Lin agreeing.

"Kye is a warrior. Even I don't know much more, since she tends to keep things pretty close to her, not unlike me. We never really questioned each other and did a few favours for one another. We're kind of awkward friends. But that isn't too important. I'll send the message and have her coordinate directly with Lin. In the meantime, I want Korra to continue to relearn the basics of waterbending, while training with Asami in physical combat. I will be going away again, to search for the other Black Spirits. I'll be back at dusk tomorrow." Silver said, before vanishing with a flash of light.

Bolin frowned. "She just poofs away whenever she feels like it. I wonder why she never shows up unless it's to train Korra."

"Probably because she knows some of you still hate her." Korra said, scowling at Mako, while giving equally displeased looks to her mother and the former police chief. "Seriously, I know you still don't trust her because of what she did, but she's already made up for it as far as I'm concerned!"

Senna sighed, looking sadly at her daughter. "I know you trust her Korra, but as a mother, I cannot easily forgive the person who made my baby wear such a hopeless face as the one you had when you first lost your bending. I wanted you to become a good person, independent of the Avatar, but not at the cost of your happiness."

"Korra, it's nothing personal, but my distrust of her is simply because she hasn't told me enough information about herself. We know her name, sort of, and we know she was an enemy of the White Lotus, which she alleges is evil. She also claims to be First Avatar, but aside from bending all four elements, she hasn't proven she is the First." Lin said, more respectfully than she usually did when talking to Korra.

"I just don't like her. She caused trouble for us and then immediately put us to work for her own goals, without telling us why. I'll trust her because you want me to, but I still don't like her." Mako growled, wringing his hands at the thought of the woman. In truth, his pride was still a little hurt after she so handily beat him in their first ever encounter. He'd get the drop on her next time…

Korra frowned as she listened to the reasons, understanding where they were coming from, but not accepting them. But it wasn't her place to tell them what to think or feel, so she left them to it. "Well, I've been given my orders. I'm going to train! Asami, Tahno; let's go to the beach and do some two on one training. I need to work on fighting stronger opponents!"

The two teens got up and happily followed their leader, eager to train for their first taste of real combat (as neither of them had really fought against equalists, Asami catching them off guard at her mansion and Tahno falling to Amon almost instantly.) Bolin and Lin got up after them, planning to get in as much earth and metal practice as they could.

In the end, it was just Mako, the adults and the airbender kids. Tenzin sighed and placed a hand on Mako's back. "Holding onto dark feelings is only going to hurt you Mako. If you and Silver ever come into conflict, the others would likely side with Silver instead of you, since she has helped them, and you have shown nothing but negativity. If you cannot forgive Silver, than why not try to understand her better. It may surprise you how much you actually have in common."

The gold eyed firebender looked away from the wise old monk. He didn't want to be left behind by his friends, just for holding onto a grudge. Sighing, he made up his mind; after Amon's attack on the prison, her would talk to Silver.


	11. Chapter 11: Takona

**Introducing a new friend in this chapter. He'll be important for the rest of the book, and even the ones that follow.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Please Review! Give me your thoughts or ask your questions, anything helps me gauge how my readers feel about things**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 11: Takona

Korra, despite being very diligent in her training, had never been unhappy to be given a break or a day off. But on the day of the Full Moon, everyone was busy preparing to deal with Amon's attack on the prison, leaving Korra out of it so as to conserve her strength. Silver had turned up, frustrated at more false leads on the Black Spirits, and even more angry from dealing with Kye, her ally that Team Avatar had yet to meet. Apparently the two were closer to rivals than friends, so they argued a lot, neither wanting to make the other's life any easier.

Silver sent had sent Korra packing almost as soon as she got back, telling her to go and hang around in the city for a while. The younger Avatar would have taken her friends, but Tahno had some business to take care off, Bolin was being kept busy by Lin, and Mako and Asami were preparing for the night.

Korra frowned. The five of them would be guarding Hiroshi Sato's cell themselves. It would be hard on Asami… "Maybe I'll ask her to go shopping with me after we're done… not my thing, but she'll probably appreciate it." Korra said to herself as she walked by herself down the busy business streets of Republic City. As noon rolled around, a distinct rumbling began to emanate from Korra.

"Lunch time." She said chirpily, looking through her pockets to see how much money she had on her. Tenzin always made sure she had a modest purse of change on her whenever she left the island, just in case. Counting the bills, Korra noticed that she had enough to visit a high end restaurant. While tempting, Korra wasn't the kind of person to needlessly spend someone else's money so she looked around for a cheaper alternative. Grinning a bit, she ran towards a small noddle place that she had once visited with Bolin. Smiling at the memory of their "date", she walked in, a noticeable bounce in her step.

Aside from the elderly owner and his grandson, only one other customer was there. A drunken man was hungrily devouring a bowl of seaweed noodles, and judging by the number of empty bowls towered up beside him, he had been there a while.

"Avatar Korra! What can I get you?" the kindly old man smiled, taking a pencil and paper.

"A bowl of the egg and ham noodles please." Korra said, preparing to sit at the counter, a few seats down from the drunk. The booze addled man finally seemed to notice her, and growled angrily when he did, clumsily getting to his feet and pointing an angry finger at her.

"You're the Avatar! The queen bender!" he slurred, balling his hands into fists. "You're the one who busted into our base the other day! You'll pay!" he growled, wobbling as he tried to hold his stance.

Korra sighed at the idea of fighting the drunk, but when she moved to bend, she noticed that there was no water. Without her other elements, Korra cursed the fact that she never wore a water skin, but by the time she realised what was going on and had switched to a physical combat stance, the drunk was already aiming a stool at her head. Korra closed her eyes and tensed herself for the coming blow, only to feel a slight dampness on her neck, as a jet of water passed her head and landed painfully in the drunk equalist's gut.

Doubling back in pain, the man dropped his bar stool before looking for his attacker. Korra turned to meet the person who had saved her, expecting it to be Tahno or Silver or even her dad, but instead, she was met with a man she didn't know. He wore normal city clothes, similar to Tahno's, but his eyes and skin made him clearly water tribe. He had short brown hair that hung messily around his face, and his soft blue eyes made him look like a peaceful man. His skin was also a few shades lighter than the average member of the Water Tribes, but it was still noticeably tanned. He had one hand on his belt, were a small flask hung, and the other was held out in front of him, his palm facing toward his opponent.

The drunk got to his feet and muttered a drunken insult, but was quickly grabbed by the man, who got past Korra without her even noticing him move, and was then thrown from the restaurant and landing with a thud and a groan in the gutter. "Do not return here, or I will not go so easy." The man said, his voice calm, almost mesmerizing.

When Korra finally snapped from her thoughts, she went up to the man. "Thanks a lot for helping me out. That stool would have left a heck of a mark. My name is Korra, by the way."

"It is fine, I dislike anyone who attacks those who are defenceless. My name is Takona, nice to meet you." he said, shaking Korra's hand.

Shortly after, Takona ordered a bowl of noodles and sat with Korra in a booth, toward the back of the establishment. "I must say, it is surprising to see the Avatar in the streets. I noticed you come in here, which is why I came in as well." Takona said, watching as Korra tried (and failed) to keep her hunger and her manners in check while eating.

"You followed me in here? Why?" Korra asked, barely remembering to swallow before talking.

"I am a school teacher. I work at the small elementary school in this part of town. The students are from poor families, so they can't afford the big academies. I was hoping you would be willing to come and visit them. they are big fans of the Avatar. So imagine my surprise when finding you while on my lunch break!" Takona laughed.

"Guess it was both our lucky days, and now I owe you one." Korra smiled. "I'd be happy to come and visit the school! I've never been to one before."

Takona raised his eyebrow. "You never went to school? Where did you learn then?"

"I learnt more than just bending from my White Lotus masters. They taught me how to read, write, mathematics and history. I never enjoyed it as much as the bending, but I grasped it easier than the spiritual stuff." Korra said, remembering the old days. She was also reminded of what Silver had said…the White Lotus was being led by evil masters now; the same men that trained her and hoped to make her their servant.

Takona noticed the sudden dark turn in Korra's expression. "It sounds like you had an interesting childhood… anyway, if you've finished, would you like to head over to the school today? It would be a lot of help, since my break ends in about ten minutes."

Korra mulled it over for a minute and nodded. She had nothing she needed to do at the moment, so it was the best time she was likely going to have. They paid for their meals (Korra flat out refused to let Takona pay for her) and left together, walking briskly back to the school that Takona worked at.

When they arrived, Korra noticed that the school was between a quaint suburban area and a large block of apartment buildings. The school itself was a small, two floor building surrounded by a small garden turned playground. It was pretty, and the children skipped and played under the supervision of a young woman. "Tako! You're back!" she greeted as she saw the two coming.

"Yep. Just had lunch with our new guest. This is Korra, the Avatar." Takona smiled.

Both the woman and most of the children stopped to look at Korra. "She's really young! I thought the Avatar was supposed to be old!" one little girl yelled.

"Whoa, cool! Do you think she has a flying bison?" another boy said to his friend.

"I like your hair!" a third child yelled, making Korra smile. The school taught only one class of thirty kids, all at different ages, so there was a lot of different types of kids there. Most swamped Korra the very moment they walked into the playground, while a few held back out of shyness, politeness or aloofness. As the kids surrounded Korra, Takona went up to his young assistant.

"Have they behaved themselves, Saki?"

The woman, Saki, nodded happily. "Nothing to report since you left. A couple of little scuffles, but they ended before they began! Care to tell me how you snagged the Avatar? Did you go to the temple?"

"I spotted her wandering. I helped her with a drunken thug so she decided to do me a favour in return." Tako grinned. Saki sighed at that look; around Takona, everything seemed to fall into place, exactly as he wanted it. He said it was good luck, but either he planned everything perfectly, or he had a guardian angel!

The lunch bell rang to send the children back into their classroom; which was not what Korra had imagined. She always thought of rows of desks in front of a black board, but she was instead greeted by a large mat, dotted with beanbag chairs and a few work tables in the back of the room. About the only thing which matched her expectations was the blackboard. Takona got everyone in and settled and then turned to Korra.

"Everyone, Avatar Korra has been nice enough to spare some of her time to come and speak to us. If she doesn't mind, she'll be answering questions about life as an Avatar, and how she goes about keeping the balance."

The children oohed and ahhed and quickly began pelting Korra with questions, until Takona made them raise their hands first. The questions were mostly childish and ones she had expected;

"Have you ever fought a giant monster" "No, but I did beat up some really bad criminals.

"Is it true you can bend all the elements." "Yeah, but I'm not finished training yet."

"Is it hard being the Avatar?" "Yes, sometimes. It's quite a lot of fun too. You get to meet a lot of interesting people and see the world!"

The questions continued in that vein until one little girl shakily raised her hand. "Are you going to defeat Amon and his bad guys?" the little girl asked.

Korra's face fell for a moment. "Yes, I'll beat them. I have to, for the sake of everyone in Republic City."

"Good. My daddy lost his bending when he was mugged by equalists. Now he can't work… he used to be a doctor; using waterbending for healing." The girl said, looking down.

Korra frowned, "That must be hard for you. When a person loses their bending…it can hurt a lot."

"Have you ever lost yours?" a boy asked.

There was a pause before Korra answered. "No. But I know people who have. And I promise, I'm going to find a way to help those people." Korra said, lying about losing her bending. These kids would lose hope if they found out, and there was no way she'd be able to explain about Silver.

After the sudden tone shift, the visit went back to normal; with Korra enthusiastically playing with the kids until their parents came to pick them up. Saki left to take the last few back to their homes, leaving Takona to clean up the classroom with Korra's help.

"I have to thank you a lot for this. Those kids need someone to look up to, and many have been victimised, or had their parents victimised. In this city, the strong like to keep the weak down as low as possible. Too many orphans have been made by this place." Takona said, glaring out the window at the skyscrapers beyond it.

"I know. My friends lost both their parents as kids, and another lost one to the equalists…in a manner of speaking." Korra sighed.

"So he was an equalist himself?" Tako asked, knowing the meaning behind her words.

"Yes." The girl answered simply.

As Takona watched the young Avatar clean the blackboard, he was compelled to ask a question. "Do you hate the Equalists and their leader?"

Korra stopped for a moment. "No. I don't hate them…I'm afraid of them. they have a completely unshakeable view that what they're doing is right. And Amon…" she shuddered.

"It's like he's a ghost. He has no fear or regret or hesitation. He doesn't think or question, he just does. In a way, I wish I could be like that, but it would make me almost inhuman." Korra said.

Takona raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, one of my masters, Tenzin of the Air Nomads, told me that our emotions, strengths and flaws are what make us human. People who cast off fear are either deluded or inhuman. I'm not so sure I agree with it, but I definitely feel that way about Amon. The worst part is, I understand where he's coming from! Amon is right to say that benders have done terrible things, but I don't feel that he has the right to tell others they can't have their gifts, because a few of them would misuse it. Punishing everyone for the actions of the few isn't fair." Korra said.

Takona chuckled. "Life isn't fair my dear. But we must all share this world, and sometimes that means either tolerating the things you hate, or destroying them. Sometimes, reason can't be applied."

Korra thought on this for a moment, but it was clear that there was nothing she could respond with. Meeting Takona's gaze, they shared a small smile.

"Come on. I can drive you back to the docks on my way home. It has been a pleasure, Avatar Korra. Feel free to visit again." Takona grinned, as the two of them left.


	12. Chapter 12: Night of the Red Moon PT1

**This is the beginning of the prison break mini arc.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 12: Night of the Red Moon PT1

The Full Moon, having long been a source of great power to a Waterbender, filled Tahno and Korra with dread as they looked at it, entering the prison in a police van. Like Asami, Mako and Bolin, they had been disguised as criminals; wearing rags over their normal clothes to add to their disguise. Lin, disguised as a normal prison officer, spoke to the gate guards and handed them a letter from Saikhan and Tenzin, making sure that he was aware of what was going on.

"Okay, five new prisoners coming in! Put the women and the pretty boy in the high security wing. The other boys need to be kept separate, so put them in A Wing and D Wing. The guard said to his partner, winking so he knew to be gentle with them. They often had undercover officers in the prison, to try and get information out of prisoners.

Nodding with understanding, the second guard opened the back of the van and roughly (but not too roughly) pulled both Korra and Asami out of the van and held their unbound hands behind their backs. Everything had to look real.

Lin took the two boys and the first guard held Tahno as they entered the prison. A huge number of prisoners were in the yard, despite it being night time, meaning that many were non-bending inmates mixed in with the undercover militia members. They'd be the first responders when the attack began. The prison was one of two in the city, and was an actual prison for convicted criminals, unlike the jail for those awaiting trial. It was built like a pentagon, with a large tower in the centre and the yard between. Watch towers lined the points of the pentagon and kept an eye on both the yard and the outside space, between the prison building and the large four walls of the outer prison.

Mako and Bolin would end up in separate wings of the pentagon, almost completely opposite, but Saikhan and Lin already had people on the other three wings. But Asami, Korra and Tahno were bound the the High Security Wing, which meant the top of the central tower. Even though they knew they weren't really prisoners, the look of the tower was daunting. For most cases, prisoners that went in here, never came out.

After going through a lobby of what looked like offices, the small group boarded a lift which took them right to the top floor; the defunct death row. Capital Punishment had been forbidden for decades, but the old Death Row still served as the most terrifying place in the city. Both Korra and Tahno were uneasy. They could feel the spirits inside them being oppressed by the malevolent presences.

"You girls are lucky. The only occupied cell up here is the Equalist traitor, Hiroshi Sato. You'll be sharing a cell with him. Pretty boy here will be in the one opposite." The guard said, smiling a bit.

"Wouldn't luck be getting our own cell?" Korra asked.

"Are you kidding!? This place is the most evil place in the city! Dark Spirits of all kinds roam these halls, and that isn't even a ghost story! They're real. More than one guard here has ended up in the hospital. They don't attack where others can see them though."

"Great, can't I share with the girls?" Tahno asked.

"Sorry kid, Beifong's orders that these two are with Hiroshi. Only allowed three in a cell, before it starts getting really cramped. You wouldn't thank us, believe me."

"You'll be fine! Don't be a wuss in front of the ladies now." A familiar voice came from ahead of the group. Turning a corner was Silver, dressed as a prison guard. "I'll be your guard this evening, and behave if you don't want to be in solitary!" she laughed.

"Great, we got the trainee guard." Asami joked.

"Hey, I've got a night stick and I have very little idea how to use it, so shut up!" Silver laughed.

"I'll leave them with you. here are the keys." The guard said, handing a ring of keys to Silver.

"Got it. Thanks." Silver said, smiling as she waved goodbye to the man.

There talking died out as they got to the other end of the floor, where the only occupied cell was. It was large enough for three people to be relatively comfy, but was otherwise as bare as Korra had expected. Hiroshi was moping on the bed, wearing prison clothes. He looked up at the sound of people approaching. At first, his expression hardened as he recognised Korra, but it lightened when Asami came into view.

"Asami! What are you doing here!? Did they arrest you too!?" he asked, giving Korra a dirty look. "Did you do anything to my daughter!?"

"Relax, I'm here to help the police stop Amon from breaking you out." Asami said, looking sternly at her father. Silver threatened the man with a fire ball, so he'd stay away from the bars as she let Korra and Asami into the cell. Once they were secured, she put Tahno in the one opposite and took a seat on the floor, leaning against the bars of Tahno's cell.

"Why? Why have you grown to hate me so much!? I'm just trying to make a better life for people like us! And trying to punish the filthy benders that took your mother from us." Hiroshi said, putting both hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"No one would care if you weren't considering every single bender like your own personal grudge." Korra said snidely, going to lay on the bunk.

"Be quiet you evil creature! No bender has anything to say to me!" Hiroshi spat. Korra flinched at the harshness, but Tahno, Silver and Asami quickly became hostile.

"Don't you dare speak down to my friend! Korra has done more than she should have had to to make me feel like family! And the best part? She doesn't even hate the equalists, despite what they are trying to do! You want to exterminate her entire people, and she still doesn't hate you…" Asami slowly began to calm down. "And if I were her, I might not be able to do the same."

Korra hopped down from her bunk and placed a hand on Asami's shoulder. "It's okay. He can't say or do anything to me. Whether you two agree or not, you're still family. Right Hiroshi? You aren't going to ditch her because she doesn't hate benders."

Hiroshi glared at Korra. "No. I will always love my daughter, no matter what. I may hate her choice, but I could never hate her."

Korra smiled, "Then there's hope for you after all."

Silver laughed quietly. "Honestly…having Tenzin, Katara AND Zuko around is making her all wise beyond her years!" she said to herself, just loud enough for Tahno to hear.

"It could be you too, though you seem more like a school teacher than a wise old master." Tahno said, running his fingers over the bars.

The night creeped on slowly, with mostly awkward silences, snide comments from Hiroshi and snippy retorts from his daughter. It was uncomfortable for everyone, until a vibrating came from Silver's pocket. Pulling out a two-way radio, Silver answered. "Hey Kye, how's it going out there?"

A female voice, sounding hushed and urgent came over the radio. "Silver, things are going well on my end, but Amon is suspicious. He knows something's up. I'm already prepared to take out the Equalist's radio signal, but that would cut us off too. When the radio goes dead, I'm on my way."

"Got it. Try not to go overboard." Silver teased. A bemused chuckle came from the other end before it went silent. A brief check showed that the radio was still on, but simply not in use.

Not too far away from the prison's outer wall, a small unit of Equalists were busy waiting atop a roof for the signal to begin the assault. Kye, completely disguised as an Equalist, was watching both Amon and his lieutenant, as they looked out across the roof tops between them and the prison, silently preparing themselves. Several small units of Equalists were already around the prison and each had explosives. When the explosions went off, it would be Kye's job to go with her two partners (unaware of her true allegiance) to sneak through the spot lights and get to the central tower before they could be spotted. Then they could free Hiroshi before anyone knew what was even happening.

Amon noticed the way that the female equalist shifted impatiently. Something was up…was it Silver again? No…she was a little bit too tall, and her body was more womanly than Silver's… maybe she was just nervous? For some reason, Amon couldn't help but feel paranoid, but emotional extremes always did come to him at the sight of the full moon. He had heard tales of men which became beasts when gazing up on the moon, whole in the night sky; and while he thought them to be childish stories, he did admit to feeling the thrill that these beasts of lore would have felt. The thrill of the hunt, of the fight and even that of the flight, escaping from a powerful enemy.

As midnight began, Amon turned to his lieutenant. "Begin the operation."

Like a flash, explosions began to erupt from the prison's outer walls and Equalists poured through them. Everyone in the prison had heard and felt the rumbling of the falling stonework, but few understood. Before long, the prison was in the middle of a riot. Kye and her two assistants quickly ran off, with Kye using a small detonator to destroy the radio gear that she had previously sabotaged. Now no one would be able to hear them coming, but neither could the invading force exchange information. Chaos quickly ensued.

Back in Hiroshi's holding cell, Silver cringed as her radio made a loud squeal before nothing but static. "Kye knocked out the radio. The rumbling from earlier must have been their beginning attack. Prepare for enemy incoming." Silver said, getting to her feet and uncorking her water skin. Tahno did the same, and Korra, having felt odd, decided not to use one. She'd fight with her fists this time.

Within a few minutes, three equalists used grappling hooks and small explosives to blow out a window not too far from Hiroshi's cell. Korra and Asami were let out, as well as Tahno, to prepare for the fight. The three enemies came into view quickly, but Silver backed down. Korra looked at her with confusion, but the third equalist electrocuted and knocked out her two partners with ease and a noticeable lack of an electrical glove.

"Kye, took you longer than I thought. The cat suit making you slow?" Silver teased.

"You got that right! This thing is horrid." Kye complained, pulling her mask and suit off with one strong tug, ripping the seams like they were paper. Under the disguise, Korra recognised her from the picture Silver had shown them.

Kye's hair was a light gold, and hung down to her waist. Her eyes were silver and she wore a similar kimono to Silver, but with shorter sleeves and a thin body suit underneath, all the same deep purple colour. She looked remarkably like Silver, or at least she could have been from the same place.

"Well, I should introduce myself. Kye Akari, a friend to Silver when she isn't being a pain, and a lightningbender." She said, showing her crackling fingers to prove it.

"So, you prefer not to use fire?" Korra asked, admiring the control she had over the electricity that ran between her fingers.

"I can use it in a pinch, but I find lightning to be more precise. You must be Korra, Silver's newest human friend. Lucky you." Kye smirked.

"Yeah, I'm Korra. These are my friends, Asami Sato and Tahno." Korra said, gesturing towards each of her allies.

"Sato huh? The daughter of the guy we're guarding. Sorry for your troubles." Kye said shortly. She wasn't antisocial, but there was an uncomfortable aura approaching from the window she had come in from. "I think we're going to have company."

The gang quickly formed a defensive line as two figures appeared, partially obscured by the smoke of the battle outside. Stepping into the dim light of the cell block, Amon and his Lieutenant approached the group.

"Good evening Avatar Korra, Silver. Traitor." Amon said politely, aiming the last part at Kye.

"I prefer double agent." She said cheekily.

Amon smiled beneath his mask. "Well then…" he took a battle stance, as did the lieutenant.

"Shall we begin?"


	13. Chapter 13: Night of the Red Moon PT2

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

**With my rewrite going well, i've decided to reopen the original pairing poll from the first story!**

**You may vote for any two characters to become a pairing, regardless of gender. If you want a pairing of an older character with younger one (KorraXJinora for example) then they will not be together until after the timeskip in between Korra's story and her successors, to make sure that all characters are legal age.**

**Rules: 1. You may vote for as many pairings as you want, but only one vote per pairing, per chapter.**

** 2. You can vote for the same pairing, but only once a chapter. One vote on chapter one, another on chapter two, for example.**

** 3. You may vote with Review or PM, either is fine. Though i do request that if you vote with a review, you leave a comment on the chapter.**

** 4. Do not expect any thing above a T-rating.**

** 5. The final pairings will be decided by popular vote at the end of Book 5.**

**With that being said, i'd like to thank you all for reading and i hope you enjoy!**

**Please Review!**

**Kye Akari belongs to DoranMaya!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 13: Night of the Red Moon PT2

As Amon and his lieutenant stood beside each other, slowly edging apart so they could engage the larger team, Silver turned to Korra.

"Allow myself and Kye to fight Amon. You and the others can fight his lieutenant." She told her.

Korra would have normally been angry to be side-lined to the lesser opponent, but against Amon, she was willing let it slide. Feeling the restriction of the close walls, Kye sighed. "Silver, can you clear out some of these walls? It's annoying to fight in such close quarters.

"Got it. Give me a moment." Silver responded. She placed her hands together to concentrate, summoning up the aid of several earth spirits. Then, with an ear splitting crash, she brought her fists against the ground. The stone floor moved like a wave through water and smashed all the walls on the floor; leaving piles of rubble and metal bars at the edges of the roam. Only Hiroshi's cell was undamaged, much to the man's annoyance.

With the space to move increased; Tahno quickly water whipped the Lieutenant in the side of the head, knocking him clear across the floor and creating a fairly lengthy divide between the two equalists. Angry, the lieutenant drew and electrified his combat sticks, ready to tackle all three young fighters at once. With only waterbending, Korra and Tahno would have been at a disadvantage against the electricity wielding lieutenant, but they were all well versed in martial combat, and they soon began their battle.

Tahno attacked first, using quick boxing jabs to try and break a hole in his opponent's guard, while Asami tried to intercept from behind. Tahno had to think fast and avoid most of the attacks aimed at him, as a single touch of those sticks could mean the end for him. Asami was less cautious, able to catch the sticks in her electrified glove, but even that wasn't enough. "Feel free to jump in any time!" Asami yelled to Korra, who stayed on the side lines, distracted by something.

Voices were playing in Korra's head, several of them all spoke in unison and the young Avatar couldn't do anything but stay rooted to the spot, trying to separate the words from her own thoughts.

"If we talk at once, she'll get confused!"

"But why should you be the one to talk!?"

"Yeah, we're here too!"

"I get to talk because Queen Gali put me in charge, so shut up!"

"Queen Gali?" Korra said, clutching her aching head.

Tahno managed to kick the lieutenant in the shins, stunning him long enough to let Asami get the drop on him. Stepping back to where Korra was, Tahno shook her gently. "Korra, what's wrong? Did you say Gali?"

"Yeah…voices in my head are arguing… Something about Queen Gali." Korra muttered, gritting her teeth at the aching.

"We're very sorry. We're Water Spirits, servants of Queen Gali. She asked us to come to the Human World to help you!" a high-pitched, feminine voice said.

"Water Spirits? Like the one inside Tahno?" Korra asked.

"Yes! But we're older. We can help you by gathering water in the atmosphere and storing it inside ourselves!"

"Wait, so you act like water skins?" Korra said, raising an eyebrow as the head ache subsided.

"Sort off, but we never run out! We can also support your bending, so you can bloodbend or do all sorts of cool stuff without it being night time, or a full moon!"

"Awesome!" Korra yelled, choosing to ignore the bloodbending bit. Instinctively, she began to waterbend, and the water seeped out of her bare arms and trickled into her open palms, were Korra could control it. "This is amazing!" she declared as she sent a series of small ice darts at the lieutenant. Asami kick flipped off of the man, knocking him right into the darts path. The shattered painfully against him and disarmed him of one of his sticks.

With one gone, Tahno and Korra could more safely waterbend. As Asami circled the lieutenant, jabbing his pressure points to loosen his limbs, Korra did the same with her ice darts, locking his joints. The bombardment caused the hapless man to lose all control over his body, leaving him defenceless against Tahno's sweeping water attacks and before long, he was frozen to the floor, stunned and barely conscious.

"We did it!" Asami cheered, hugging both Korra and Tahno.

"That's team work for you! we'd make a decent pro-bending team." Tahno smiled.

"Yeah, but with two waterbenders and a non-bender, we'd be disqualified." Korra laughed.

As the teens revelled in their victory, Amon and his two female opponents were having their own battle. Compared to his lieutenant, Amon was on a different level of skill entirely. His movements were hard for Kye and Silver to read, and his body was able to endure multiple strikes from Silver, and even a fair bit of Kye's lightning palms.

"For an ordinary person, he takes damage like a brick wall!" Kye said, relishing the challenging fight.

"I know, he was never fragile!" Silver laughed, smacking into Amon with several clumps of rubble. They shattered against him with nothing but a grunt, and the Equalist Leader quickly retaliated, chi-blocking Silver. with Spirits working alongside her, her pressure points were unblocked as fast as they were struck, leaving the fight ultimately fruitless.

Even attempts at chi-blocking Kye proved pointless, as she moved with almost inhuman speed, never taking a single blow. Though Amon was almost as fast, he still weathered a few glancing blows, each accompanied by Kye's lightning bending, leaving a burning tingle wherever it struck.

"We seem to be in a deadlock of sorts." Amon said, panting slightly. Neither Silver nor Kye looked tired, but they were clearly irritated.

"Silver, can we stop holding back so much? I'm using more energy trying to keep my lightning from being too strong than I would be using full strength!" Kye said, growling as she longed to release the pent up energy.

"If we go all out, we'll kill him and a good chunk of the prison. Grin and bear it for now." Silver said, sympathising.

Amon paused for a moment, noticing for the first time what Kye had been implying. Silver was an Avatar, and yet she had barely used skills above the level of an apprentice bender, and Kye was attacking with electrical power that was far weaker than the equalists' own gear, despite the immense energy he could sense inside her.

"So, you don't want to go all out for fear of killing me? I'm curious why you'd spare the life of your enemy." Amon said, hoping to play mind games with the pair.

"For the same reason you steal bending as opposed to killing benders. We aren't simple murderers." Kye said, looking irritated. She kept her composure, but the dull fight was getting on her nerves. Silver wasn't fairing any better, especially since she was eager to defeat Amon so she wouldn't have to fight him anymore. They did share a brief, but important past after all.

With his options exhausted, Amon took the only route left open to him; evade and escape. Stealthily unhooking a smoke bomb from his belt, Amon quickly enveloped the room in a thick grey fog, blinding everyone within. Kye and Silver tried to follow Amon's movements with their other senses, but he had already created a great distance between them. Sneaking past the teens, who were still trying to find each other in the smoke, Amon broke the ice around his lieutenant and released the effects of the chi-blocking.

"You know what to do." the masked man said cryptically, before running and jumping from the hole he had originally entered through. Silver followed after, watching with horror as Amon plummeted several feet to his apparent doom. But this would not be the revolutionary's end, and he was caught by a waiting group of equalists and a large sheet.

A sudden explosion shook the other side of the room, as the Lieutenant used a pocket explosive to blow a hole in the wall of Hiroshi's cell, allowing the man to escape the cell, and then the prison through the same method as Amon. In less than a minute, and before any of the defending forces could react, all three of the Equalist leaders were getting into a van and speeding away from the prison, disappearing into the city.

"We failed…" Korra said, looking disheartened.

"We need to go after them!" Kye yelled, leaping from the window and landing softly on the ground, despite the long fall. As Silver watched her friend speed off after the van, she sighed.

"She'll never catch them in the city now. It'd cause too much chaos… Anyway, I think we should suppress the rest of the attackers and-" Silver's voice was drowned out by a sudden roar of fire, erupting from the supports of a guard tower. It had been rigged by the invaders, so it would fall over the gate they would use to escape, preventing the police from pursuing them. It had gone off too soon, and was now falling, but that wasn't the main concern.

"MAKO!" Asami screamed as she watched her boyfriend being hurled from the falling structure.

"Damnit!" Silver cursed, calling on the spirits of air to keep her body aloft as she speed towards the falling firebender. In the end, Silver was just barely able to grab the boy's hand before he met the hard floor. The two landed roughly on the grass of the prison yard, both panting from the shock and suddenness of the whole thing.

"I saw Amon escape…I thought I could use the Equalist's trap against them, so I activated the bomb. Stupid timer made it useless though." Mako complained as he sat up. He received a sudden punch to the arm and an angry glare.

"Don't do anything so stupid again! You could have been killed, and what good would that have done for anyone!? Korra and Asami would be devastated, and that's not even mentioning your brother! You're all he's got, so don't go risking our life so readily." Silver scolded, angry at the boy, which was quite a role reversal, since it was usually Mako who was mad at Silver.

"S-Sorry. And thanks for saving me. I thought I was a goner for a moment there. But I guess it wouldn't be good for you to let Korra's friend die, I imagine that'd mess up her training." Mako said, laughing awkwardly in an attempt to lift the tension.

"Look, whatever you may think of me, I'm not heartless. I would have saved you regardless of Korra or anyone else. In fact, it was more for Bolin than anyone. I know the pain of losing your older brother, and I didn't want him to go through that." Silver said, standing up.

"You had a brother?" Mako asked. "I guess he must have passed away; given that you're like ten thousand years old." He said, trying to sound sympathetic.

"I lost him before that. It was just after I discovered my bending." Silver explained. She ended the conversation by walking away. She wasn't ready to deal with this topic yet. 'These damn kids keep getting more out of me than I want to give! I'll need to be careful' she thought.

The clean-up of the attack was relatively quick after that. A few dozen breakouts occurred during the chaos, but there were almost no injuries, and they captured more Equalists than they lost prisoners, so most people would have considered it a success. But Team Avatar wasn't among them.

Hiroshi had escaped, as had Amon and his Lieutenant. Despite the two being no match for the combined forces of the five fighters…

Bolin and Mako did their best to try and comfort them, and Korra noticed that his earlier ordeal had caused Mako to warm to Silver. Tenzin arrived shortly afterward to take the younger members back to the temple, and his only comment on the subject was;

"We're all in trouble. Tarrlok is going to have a field day with this."


	14. Chapter 14: Taste of Defeat

**CURRENT TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

5. Silver X Amon  
4. Korra X Asami  
3. Korra X Tahno  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Bolin

**If you want to add a vote to any of these, or any other pairing, just follow the voting rules in Book 1 Chapter 13!**

**I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 14: Taste of Defeat

"I can't believe this!" Lin roared, breaking another stone pillar. After the failure to keep Hiroshi at the prison, everyone had slowly made their way back to the island, all with heavy hearts; full of disappointment. It had been planned well, and even pulled off relatively well! Heck, despite the stupid risk he took, Mako's plan to drop the tower prematurely had really helped limit the number of prisoners and Equalists escaping.

But there main objective was still a failure, and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

"I thought victory would be assured! How could things go so badly!? Silver, you and Kye were winning, so how did he get by you!?" Lin yelled, turning on Silver.

"As I said before; we share a past. He knows my physical capabilities well enough to give me the slip. When he dropped the smoke bomb, it was already too late. Within seconds, he freed the lieutenant and Hiroshi, then they all fled." Silver said, defending herself.

"Silver did what she could. We couldn't use spirits to help us, as they moved before we got the chance." Kye said, shooting lightning at a metal post to relieve some of her pent-up energy.

Asami, still looking depressed at her father's escape, turned to Kye. "You can talk to spirits too? Are you immortal like Silver?"

"Yes, but I'm not an Avatar." Kye said, making it clear that fire was her only element.

"How is it even possible to become immortal?" Korra asked, looking curiously at Kye.

"Fuse your body with a Divine Spirit. If you're strong enough, both mentally and physically, and the Spirit is strong enough. You also need to have a good connection; if the spirit and host don't like each other, they won't be able to maintain their fusion. Didn't Silver tell you this yet?" Kye asked, looking to her rival/friend.

"It isn't time to explain that to them. but that reminds me; everyone, this is Kye Akari. A very old friend of mine. She helped us out a lot by taking out the Equalists' radio and helped me fight Amon. Not that I needed it." Silver smirked as she added the second part, teasing Kye.

"Yeah yeah, big tough Silver could do it all on her own. Not like me being there was enough anyway. Amon is a slippery one. Anyway, Silver; I'm not in your debt anymore, so I'm going to continue looking for Yami. Pipsqueak is never easy to find, but now she's completely vanished." Kye said, turning to leave.

"Yami? You're little sister disappeared? How did that happen?" Silver asked.

"I sent her to find something in the Great Forest, north of Ba Sing Se. The last I heard from her was that she found it, along with a strange man with an evil aura. I'm thinking she had trouble with him, so I'll go get them both. It's been a pleasure to meet you Team Avatar; I'll be sure to come and see you all again." And with that, Kye vanished with a flash of light, in the same way Silver often did.

After Kye left, it was decided that any further talking that night would be fruitless, so they retired to their own rooms, with Lin staying the night and Silver going back to her home in the Spirit World. The little water spirits that helped Korra promised to comeback when she called them. Korra would have to ask Silver how to do that tomorrow…

The next day was sullen, as the weather had decided to reflect the mood on the island. Rain and thunder pelted the island for hours as they ate breakfast and sat through a painful debriefing from Lin. Saikhan, the new police chief, had also arrived to hear Lin's explanation of the night.

He was not happy. "How could you fail at the only objective you had!? Hiroshi was more important than the rest of the prisoners combined, so how did he get past you!?"

"Amon and his lieutenant used smoke bombs and explosives to get passed the guards. There was nothing they could have done; they're lucky Amon didn't take their bending in the process!" Lin yelled, defending Korra's group. Though the young Avatar wasn't sure if it was out of loyalty to them, or pride.

"Well, now we're left with a badly damaged prison; about fifty new Equalist prisoners with nowhere to be held and a small army of small time thugs running free in the city. I'd call that a pretty big loss! The bending of a few group of guards were inconsequential compared to that!" Saikhan yelled.

Korra, remembering the little girl from Takona's school, whose father had lost his bending, quickly grew angry at Saikhan, and had grabbed him by the collar and hit him against a wall before anyone could stop her. "Firstly, it was me and my friends who were guarding him, so I'm not gonna take you calling us inconsequential! Second, do you have any idea how losing your bending could destroy a person's livelihood! People use it to work and support their families! A few petty criminals can be caught again, but an entire family being left destitute is not so easy to overcome!"

Silver gently removed Korra's hands from Saikhan, as they had slowly snaked their way around his throat as she yelled. Noticing what she had done and the scared (but impressed) looks on the others faces, Korra backed down, and allowed Silver to force her back to her seat.

Saikhan, still shaken, was able to compose himself quite quickly, but he didn't get a chance to speak.

"The young Avatar has a point." Tarrlok entered the room, wearing the usual creepy smirk. "This is why it's imperative that she re-join the Task Force! We need you to take on these evil Equalists and stop their destruction of innocent families."

Tahno knew first-hand what the loss of bending could do to a person, but something about Tarrlok caused his stomach to churn. "With all due respect councilman, I think Korra needs time to rest and get back to training."

Tarrlok turned to regard the boy, "You are Tahno of the Wolf bats, correct? I was sorry to see a promising young bender have his career cut short by the equalists. I would think you'd be eager to have Korra avenge you."

Tahno snorted and bent rain from the window of the mediation room. "No revenge for me thanks. I'm too busy training."

"Tarrlok, I've already said that I'm not coming back to the Task Force. No amount of bribes or harassment is going to get me to change my mind!" Korra yelled, getting angry. Over the weeks, Tarrlok had tried everything to change her mind; even going so far as to try and turn her against Tenzin and Silver.

Tarrlok wasn't fazed by Korra's angry proclamation. He would get what he wanted, one way or another. "I will have you Korra, you can only refuse so much." He smirked. Silver felt a churning in her stomach.

"She isn't a thing for you to own, Tarrlok. Korra has decided to train under my guidance until she is ready. The Equalists will be dealt with in good time. You are becoming too greedy for power and fame." Silver said, stabbing his chest lightly with her finger.

Tarrlok's smile disappeared for a moment. "Actually, Miss Silver, I would like to speak with you in private. It will only take a second." he said, beckoning her to follow him out of the room. Fearing nothing from the man, Silver followed, telling the others to continue without her. Saikhan didn't have the stomach to talk after being dressed down by Korra, so he made his excuses and asked for Lin to have a full report sent to him.

After ten minutes, it became clear that Silver would be gone a while, so the members of Team Avatar returned to moping around, trying to think up their next move. Another ten minutes passed, and there was a quiet knock on the door. An Air Acolyte entered the room, and bowed to Tenzin.

"Master, we have a guest for Avatar Korra. A Mr Takona. The children have taken to him quite quickly." The monk said, moving aside to reveal the middle aged teacher, currently holding Tenzin's three children with little trouble.

"These are yours, I presume?" Takona laughed as he lightly tossed Meelo to Tenzin.

"This is the guy I met yesterday; Takona! He saved me from some drunk in town, and I went to his school." Korra said, jumping to her feet to greet her new friend.

Tonraq stood up and approached the man, carefully watching him. "A kinsman eh? Where are you from Takona?"

"The Northern Tribe. I moved here in my late teens and eventually became a teacher. I helped Korra yesterday and she returned the favour by visiting the children of my school." Takona said. He wasn't much younger than Tonraq, so the protective father was much more comfortable with this man than the other three boys in Korra's life.

Bolin got up to greet Takona as well, offering his hand. "So, helped out the old Avatar, eh? You're lucky! It's not every day you get to rescue THE Avatar!" he laughed, making an extravagant gesture towards Korra, making the amused girl lightly thump his arm.

"What brings you here Mr Takona?" Tenzin asked, having an odd feeling that Takona resembled someone he knew…

"I heard that Korra was involved in the business at the prison. She didn't mention anything about it while I spoke with her yesterday, so I wanted to make sure she was alright. Besides, I've been waiting for an excuse to come to this island. It is quite beautiful."

"Thank you!" Tenzin beamed. "Pema does well to keep the flora looking perfect all year round. We are the centre of Air Nomad culture after all!"

"Indeed. The Air Nomads were always somewhat enigmatic. They were an all bender society, due to their high spirituality. It is ironic, that the most common type of bender has become the least common. And all out of fear of the Avatar. It proves how powerful you can be Korra." Takona said, addressing such heavy subjects with the same tone he always used.

"Y-yeah, you're right. There were a lot of really powerful and famous Avatars. Aang was only the most recent." Korra said, a little disheartened at how low on the power meter she actually was.

"Aang stopped an entire war at a young age, and he doesn't even compare to some of the ancient Avatars! Avatars like Silver, Tensa and Jada. Each responsible for a massive change in the world's dynamic."

A silence befell the room as everyone stared at him, dumbfounded. Takona flinched a bit at the fierce looks. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No but how do you know about Avatar Silver? I thought she was almost completely unknown." Korra said, a look of burning curiosity in her eyes.

"I am a teacher! And I did travel the world for a few years as a youth. I don't know any official history on her, just tales and legends from backwater villages. But come to think of it, I don't know when she supposedly died. Curious." Takona muttered the last part, just loud enough for Korra to hear.

The teacher suddenly felt a shiver up his spine and turned to leave. "I think it's time I left. I'm glad you are well; I'll be sure to meet you all again soon! Goodbye!" he said, and he was out the door before anyone could object. A minute later, Silver came back, looking troubled.

One look at the still confused room made her forget her worries. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

"My teacher friend, Takona… he knew about you! And two over Avatars, Rika and Tensa." Korra said, never having heard the two names. Silver wasn't surprised by Rika's name, as she was well known in the area she had lived, but Tensa's name bothered her.

She already had Amon and Tarrlok to deal with, the last thing she needed was Tensa.


	15. Chapter 15: Link to the Past

**CURRENT TOP 5 PAIRING POLL**

**5. Mako X Korra  
4. Bolin X Korra  
3. Silver X Korra  
2. Tahno X Korra  
1. Asami X Korra**

**Looks like everyone is after Korra! The pairings change quite drastically, but you can always vote for your favourite and hope it wins!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 15: Link to the Past

With the failure to stop Amon at the prison still fresh in their minds, everyone in Team Avatar returned to the daily grind of training, councilman work and maintaining a militia. Korra knew something was up the moment that Silver stopped Bolin and Mako from going off to train on their own like she usually did.

"Teamwork enabled Aang's Team Avatar to bring down the Fire Lord. If you want to take down Amon and face the future threats, you'll need to practice it too." Silver had said, not giving room to argue.

Mako didn't mind, as he had just been going to a cheap firebending school in the city, but Bolin wasn't too pleased.

"But what about metalbending? I was getting decent at it!" he said, sulking.

"Bolin, you can train with Silver for today. I need to go deal with the council anyway, so I'll welcome the break from you." Lin said, smirking a bit at Bolin's expression.

"Besides, I know some metalbending myself. Not to the level of Toph or Lin, but at least as good as the average cop." Silver smiled, pulling a coin from her pocket and easily bending it. "Lin, while you're at City Hall, tell Tarrlok that I haven't forgotten what he said yesterday, and that I'll be following it up soon."

Silver's expression was deadly serious at the last part, but Lin didn't care enough to question. Tarrlok probably just creeped her out and her words were a subtle threat. Once Lin was gone, Tenzin and the Air children decided to hold their mediations outside with the others, so they could watch their team work training.

Lined up like they were on their first training session, Silver handed out some instructions. "Between you, you've got highly skilled Firebending, skilled lightningbending, highly skilled earthbending, novice level metalbending, two sets of skilled waterbending and two sets of highly skilled martial arts. Though Korra, you'll need to work on yours before you are completely on Asami's level." Silver said, carefully gauging each of their strengths from what she had seen.

"That's a fairly diverse amount of skills. This exercise will be about finding good combinations and tactics that best match your skills to different conversations. Firstly, I want you to capture me without causing any physical harm. I won't use any bending or any skills that an Equalist wouldn't. So come at me!" Silver smiled, taking a stance and flipping backward. 'Now we'll see how well they coordinate.' She thought.

Korra reacted first, flipping gracefully toward Silver and trapping her head in between her knees. Korra then twisted her body to forcibly fling Silver up into the air. Tahno took this as an opportunity to catch the white haired woman in a strong water jet, and freeze her body in the process. Silver struggled lightly, but she wasn't going to get out of it.

"Good! Now try it again, but with a new tactic! Come on!" she yelled, smiling manically as she breathed hot flame over her icy prison to escape.

This time, Mako and Bolin started the charge, but using a serious of fire balls and raised rocks to stop Silver from getting a solid footing. While attempting to keep her footing, Silver was blindsided by Asami, who grabbed the back of her kimono and spun her around, dizzying her. Letting go at just the right speed to send her flying, Tahno caught her with a gentle water whip and then dragged her to the ground, where Bolin encased her up to her shoulders. Silver laughed heartily as her head spun, and she shakily broke free of the rock encasement.

"Whoa…I can see three Korras! Lin's nightmare!" she laughed, falling on to her back.

Team Avatar laughed at the joke and got back to the training; practicing a large number of techniques and combos to suit different opponents and skills. After a while, Silver had them all practice on Tenzin (much to his annoyance) while she spoke to Korra.

"You haven't used your bending once since we started. Is something wrong?" Silver asked, knowing how much Korra enjoyed the feel of bending.

"Nothing's wrong, It's just that something weird happened that last time I waterbent, back during the prison break. Some water spirits appeared inside my body…" Korra said, flexing her fingers as she remembered the sensation.

Silver chuckled. "So, it finally happened. When you got your waterbending back from Gali, you became a kind of portal. Your spirit is directly connected to Gali's. Since she is the place where Water Spirits are born, they can travel from her to you. You've become a Spirit Medium. Spirit Mediums like you, me and Kye are able to contain spirits in our bodies, and have them do favours for us. In return for their services, they get memories and experience in the human world, which is how they grow stronger."

"Wait, so they can just come into my body whenever they want? And what about the little guy living inside Tahno?" Korra asked.

"Tahno's spirit was summoned here by me and then placed inside him. He's a host, not a medium. And only new-borns will enter you, since once they leave Gali's body, they can't re-enter, and thus can't get to you. You can block them with training; but it'll spiritual training, which is hard for you. Water Spirits can be very useful though! They can get water from the air that even master waterbenders couldn't, so you'll never run out of water. They can also waterbend independently to you, which simplifies certain tasks and lets you do things alone that would otherwise require groups." Silver explained, her hair glowing the colour of her name as she summoned water spirits into her body and used them to create a ball of water in her hand.

"That's amazing! But, one of them told me they could also allow me to bloodbend anytime. Is that true?" Korra asked, worriedly.

"Yes it is, but don't worry. I'll be teaching you bloodbending too, so you can counter it and use it to heal. With proper training, you won't be able to hurt people with it." Silver comforted her. "But first, allow me to show you how to open and close your water chakra. This was opened when you accepted your guilt in the Black Ocean, but I will teach you how to easily open and close it. This will let you summon and block access for Water Spirits."

Korra nodded. "So what do I have to do? Do I just have to refuse to accept guilt to close the chakra, then accept it to open it again?"

Silver shook her head vehemently "NO! That would work, but it's insanely difficult and it can cause huge damage to your spirit! Seriously, it could destroy the chakra completely, or at least lock it so it can never be opened again. The proper technique is a lot more delicate, and a lot safer."

Korra chuckled nervously; "I guess I shouldn't do that then. So what do I have to do?"

Silver gestured for Korra to sit beside her, both taking meditative positions. "The key to controlling a chakra that you have released is visualisation. When bending, a person generally visualises what they want to happen, then performs the movements to make reality match your thought. This visualisation technique works with the chakras too. For the Water Chakra, the best visualisation is water; imagine the chakra as a dam. When open, water rushes through, but when closed, it slowly builds up. Focus your energy on this visualisation, and then imagine closing the dam. Pretend to pull a lever or turn a wheel to close it, if it helps."

Korra took a deep breath and began to focus on her energy. Once she felt like she had proper focus, she imagined a dam over a giant river, whose waters were rushing through freely. She imagined herself within the dam's control room, right in front of a giant red wheel. In her mind, she gave this wheel a rough turn and watched as the dam closed, ending the flow of water. Korra felt a strange build-up of energy in her lower back, but it soon dissipated. As the last of the tension in her back left her, she suddenly felt her body bend backward as she was hit by a powerful flood of power. Her vision turned white and Korra felt herself hit the stone floor gently.

Korra found herself floating above a familiar room. Her vision was foggy, but she could see that she was in City hall, watching a trial. She saw three faces that she knew well, Sokka, Toph and Avatar Aang, presiding over the trial. There was a clamour of some sort from the defendant, whom Korra did not recognise, and everyone in the room was suddenly twisting and turning painfully. There was a sinister laugh and the vision cut away to a view of Republic City. Korra was floating above a roof top where she saw a man, hooded and with his back to her, carefully examining a very familiar porcelain mask. After a moment of hesitation, he donned it and turned to face the ghostly Korra.

"Amon." She felt herself gasping the words, as if someone else was borrowing her voice. And then the vision was over; as suddenly as it had come, it was gone again. Korra opened her eyes to see only Silver looking down on her, mild concern on her face. The others hadn't noticed, and were still training, so Korra deduced that she hadn't been out of it for long.

"Are you okay?" Silver asked.

"Yeah…it was a vision. I saw Aang in a court room, then I saw Amon putting on his mask. I think it may have been the first time he'd done it." Korra said, remembering the hesitation in Amon as he donned the mask.

Silver didn't doubt her words, but was clearly concerned. "Silver, I think Aang and Amon are connected in some way. Do you know anything about it?"

Silver nodded; "Avatar Aang's actions led to Amon. It was accidental, but it happened nonetheless. But I couldn't ever blame him for it, as my own actions, and those of the White Lotus are also to blame. It was a vicious chain of events."

"I have a feeling that you were really close to him, before he became Amon. Can't you tell me the truth?" Korra asked.

"I have three secrets Korra. These three things are the only things I will not tell you, and he is one of them. I am sorry, but for now you must deal with that." Silver said, apologetic, but serious about keeping her secret. "Though you shouldn't be too disappointed. You'll know who Amon is by the end of the month, if what Kye told me was correct. Now that he has Hiroshi back, you can bet he'll move to take the city soon. Congratulations on closing the chakra by the way. With enough practice, you'll be able to do it on pure instinct." Silver smiled.

Korra looked at her hands and noticed the lack of tingling, which she had felt ever since becoming a spirit medium. Returning to her meditation, she found herself back in the same scene, in the same room with the same big red wheel. Turning it, her chakra opened with the dam, and spiritual power flowed through with the water. Silver chuckled as Korra's hair glowed silver for a moment, before returning to its normal hue.

"Tenzin was right, when you understand what you're doing, you really are a quick study! Now let's keep going; I want to see the look on the others faces when you're pulling water from mid-air!" Silver laughed, patting Korra's back.

Korra smirked and resumed her training, shoving the thoughts of her vision and Amon to the back of her mind. It was a shame though, as before long, Korra would wish she had understood those visions sooner…


	16. Chapter 16: Buried Legacy PT1

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS IN THE POLL**

**5. Mako X Asami  
4. Korra X Bolin  
3. Korra X Tahno  
2. Silver X Tahno  
1. Korra X Asami  
**

**If you want to see a different pairing win, then feel free to vote with PM or review!**

**I hope you guys enjoy!  
**

**Please Review**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 16: Buried Legacy PT1

Lin waited impatiently in the foyer of town hall, waiting for her meeting with the councilman. Usually she only dealt with them through Tenzin, but this time Tenzin hadn't been involved. That alone was enough to make her suspicious, but it was the fact that it had been Tarrlok to summon her that really made her worry. Tarrlok only summoned people before the council to either threaten or bribe them.

When the mousy secretary finally called her in, Lin angrily stomped into the hall, stopping just short of the councilmen's desk. "So, what have I been called for? You do realise I have other things to be doing, than dealing with your political garbage."

The three lesser councilman shrank back a bit, but Tarrlok chuckled. "I've called you here for one reason. Earlier this week, a group of archaeologists from the Republic City University of History uncovered a secret vault in the catacombs beneath the palace of Ba Sing Se. They claim that the vault contains multiple signs of belonging to the Beifongs."

Lin shrugged. "So what? I don't keep contact with the rest of the family. If it belongs to the Beifongs, let them know and leave me out of it."

Tarrlok smirked, which further annoyed Lin. "The vault, which has been apparently sealed for centuries, has several of Toph Beifong's belongings. We are currently trying to discover how they got into a vault that was sealed before her birth, and has remained sealed since her death."

Lin frowned, but was none-the-less interested. "My mother was crafty. She would have gotten in without leaving any evidence behind. Still, if they belong to my mother, then they belong to me. She left me everything in her will. Since I'm no longer the police chief, I'll go there myself to collect the items that belong to me, and leave the rest for the historians or the other relatives."

The Water Tribe councilman smiled. "Of course. Though I do feel I should mention something else. The archaeologists are no longer able to enter the catacombs. The whole place has been infested by what they claim to be Dark Spirits. They are vicious and impossible to get past, or drive off. The Palace guard have stopped trying after it became clear that they aren't trying to leave the catacombs."

"Dark Spirits?" Lin said, wide eyed. "What in the world are they doing there? I'll need to consult Silver about this…" she mumbled the last part.

"We do have one favour to ask, in return for giving you this information." Tarrlok said, smiling slyly.

"And that would be?"

"If your mother left behind any bending techniques, or any dangerous secrets regarding Republic City, we request that you either hand them over, or destroy them."

Lin smirked. "Well well. Are you worried that my mother had seen through all of this city's dark secrets? Remarkable how much a blind woman can actually see in this place, isn't it. I may hand over the secrets, but only if I feel like it. and I'll be expected proper payment for them."

Normally, Lin wouldn't have bartered such things, and would have either said yes or no, but with Tarrlok, she needed to have him on his toes. Still, he didn't seem too bothered, so it was unlikely that shed find anything. Without any goodbyes or thanks, she left the room, with a noticeable spring in her step.

Rushing back to the island, Lin found Silver and Korra meditating, with each of them occasionally flashing silver before returning to normal. "If you two are done with your light show, I need to speak to Silver." Lin said, smirking as Korra flinched at her sudden loud voice.

"Sure, what do you need?" Silver asked. Lin explained the situation to Silver, and in doing so, attracted the attention of Tenzin and the other Teens.

"Dark Spirits in Ba Sing Se? Does that mean a Black Spirit is there?" Korra asked.

"Possibly. Black Spirits do corrupt the other spirits around them, but more importantly, they can act like Spirit Mediums and pull Dark spirits right out of the Spirit World. If I can make contact with any of the Dark Spirits, I should be able to tell which of the Seven created them." Silver said.

"Should we all go? If you have to fight them, it could be dangerous." Mako asked.

"No. You can't defeat Dark Spirits with a normal bender's power. Only an Avatar or a very powerful spirit medium can do it. Even Korra couldn't manage it yet. But if we run into a Black Spirit, it would take more than just me to beat it… I'll go with Lin, the rest of you will stay here." Silver decided.

"But I thought you said you can't beat a Black Spirit alone." Korra said.

"I can't, but you aren't at the level where you could help me. Besides, I could at least weaken it enough to escape if needed. It's decided; Katara will continue your training while I'm gone." Silver smiled, looking over at the aged Waterbender, sipping tea beside Zuko.

"I'll be happy to have my old student back. I never tire of training such energetic youngsters." Katara smiled, remembering the old days with Aang, Sokka and Toph. "Lin, please remember to give your respects to your mother when you return. To this day, you are the only one she ever truly showed her softer side to."

"I will Master Katara. And Korra, try not to destroy the city while I'm gone, got it?" Lin chuckled.

Korra smirked. "No promises."

Silver gave her goodbyes to the teens and the elders before following Lin back to her apartment. Once she had backed some supplies, they headed off to the train station. Lin refused to let Silver take her through the Spirit World, regardless of how much faster she claimed it would be. The train journey there and back, as well as however long it would take to finish their business in Ba Sing Se, was estimated at two days. Lin just prayed they wouldn't cause too much trouble in her absence.

The journey to Ba Sing Se was a long one by train, and Lin had no tolerance for the average person travelling. She didn't care for their stories or their political opinions, so she was sure to get a private compartment for herself, though Silver joined her. This would be the first time that Lin spent time alone with the first Avatar and the former police chief felt compelled to learn more about this enigmatic girl.

"Silver, have you taken a train before?" Lin asked, knowing Silver had spent many years away from the human world.

"Yes, a couple of times." Silver smiled, acting more childishly than usual. "I was with a friend on those occasions, but I haven't seen him in a long time."

"A friend? Who?" Lin asked.

"A young waterbender from the Northern Tribe. We had been travelling the world for the fun of it. he wanted to see the world and I was looking for potential future avatars. It was a less efficient but more fun way of selecting what family would be blessed with the Avatar's birth." Silver answered, bright eyes scanning the distant country side.

"What happened to him?"

Silver frowned and looked at her knees, sadly remembering what had happened. "The White Lotus happened. When the new, dark masters took over and captured me, they tried to control me. I left my friend in Republic City but by the time I had escaped the lotus, I was so angry at humans for trying to enslave me, that I left without thinking about him. I buried myself in the spirit world and it took a lot to coax me back out, but in the end, Korra needed me. So I came."

Lin frowned. She didn't know any prominent waterbenders in Republic City aside from Tarrlok, and he had come a few years after Korra was born, which meant Silver was long gone. "would you tell me his name?"

"No." Silver said shortly. "It's not that I don't trust you, but I'd rather not say it again until I see him. Though I imagine that the next time we meet, they'll be a lot of apologising on both sides."

Lin accepted the answer; knowing that some people were odd like that. "what about you Lin? I spilled the beans on myself, what about you?"

The police chief laughed. "Nothing to say really. I don't have any real family. I have a few cousins that still maintain the Beifong noble lineage, but I haven't cared since my mother left them. I don't have a husband or boyfriend, nor do I really want one. No significant past relationships, other than Tenzin at least."

"Didn't take you for the relationship type. I was hoping for some cool cop stories." Silver said, smiling like a curious child.

"So you're not the girly type either." Lin smirked.

"I can be perfectly feminine when I want to be, I just appreciate a person who kicks butt for a living."

Lin laughed. "Well then, how about I tell you about how I got this little scar on my cheek. I got dropped into a tank of monkey sharks by a triad boss. I punched all fifteen of them until their teeth were bouncing of the walls, then I did the same with their owners! One of the little buggers got me though. Still, it makes for a useful intimidation aid."

Silver smiled widely. "You punched out fifteen monkey sharks! Awesome! I only ever saw one, and it was in a zoo over in Cinnabar City."

"They went down easier than the Big Bryko! Fifteen years ago, me and the card sharks he worked with got into a spot of trouble…"

The rest of the journey went surprisingly quickly, with Lin's cop stories and the new friendship between the two women making the trip much more enjoyable. It wasn't often that Lin got to talk to a woman who wasn't all frilly and girly. Maybe she would try to get to know Korra a little better when they got home. Upon arriving in Ba Sing Se, it had been the first time in years that either of them had seen the city. It was still as large and impressive as it always had been, but massive skyscrapers had expanded across the whole place, making it look like a bigger, more earthy version of Republic City. The cold steel replaced by hard stone. Lin flashed her passport to the border guards while Silver snuck through, and then they were both on their way to the palace. It wasn't too far from the train station, and the palace guards had been alerted to them coming by Tarrlok, so they were allowed in immediately, and given escort to the catacomb entrance.

The expansive tunnel system had been just as the last Team Avatar had described it. It was a massive, gaping cave, with green crystals growing everywhere. Lin lightly tapped the ground to see the vault with seismic sense, but frowned in doing so. "I can see the vault, but nothing is alive down here, save for small mammals. Maybe the archaeologists were just spooked off by wolf bats." Lin theorised.

"Oh no, they're here alright. Stick close to me." Silver said, holding Lin's hand as she guided her through the tunnels. Lin scoffed at having her hand held, especially since they were able to walk for several minutes and even reach the vault without seeing a spirit.

Lin snatched her hand back. "You're being paranoid. There's nothing here." Lin said, tracing a hand over the fault. A part of the cave wall had been broken away to reveal a large metal door with a flying boar welded into it. there was no visible way to open the door, meaning a metalbender would be necessary.

Bending open the door, Lin was faced with something she hadn't expected. The entire vault was empty, it fact it was only a roughly cut hole in the wall, just big enough for a few people to stand in. "What the? This looks like it was made recently? Could this be the wrong one?"

"No it isn't." silver said, jumping in front of Lin as a swarm of black, demonic creature lept from the shadows.

"These Dark Spirits have been hoarding the crystals down here…I noticed that some had been cut up and left in piles. This whole trip was a trap!"


	17. Chapter 17: Buried Legacy PT2

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS IN POLL**

**5. Korra X Mako  
4. Korra X Tahno  
****3. Mako X Asami  
****2. Korra X Silver  
****1. Korra X Asami**

**I hope you guys like the chapter!  
**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 17: Buried Legacy PT2

Lin hadn't been made the Chief of the Republic City police force by accident. She had earned the title by being stronger, smarter and more ruthless than any other cop or criminal in the United Republic. Some even say she is more powerful and feared than even her mother; Toph Beifong. So it was a rare thing for Lin to feel true fear, but it was unsurprising to be afraid, when faced with the horde of monstrous shadows.

Silver and Lin were completely surrounded, blocked an all sides by a sea of teeth, claws and vicious, soulless eyes. The Dark Spirits had no single form; some looked like birds, some like fish and even a few looked human, but they all had the same glowing eyes and the same malevolent presence.

"Lin, we need to break a hole in their defence and then run. We can't beat them all by ourselves." Silver said, carefully watching as one of the spirits got closer.

"Can't you use some kind of Avatar magic to send them back to the Spirit World, or destroy them or something?" Lin asked. Silver scoffed.

"I'm not a magician!"

"Then we'll need to fight. They're all going to pounce on us at once, so we aren't going anywhere unless we beat them." Lin said, analysing the area around them. There were a few sturdy stalactites she could use to swing around with her metal cables, but the ground was too deep and solid to earthbend through it like a tunnel…

Silver ended up attacking first, using a blast of flame to knock back several spirits that had been creeping closer, and that unleashed hell. Just as Lin has said, several spirits leapt into the air and pounced on them, surrounding them from even above. Lin whipped her cables around her, knocking back as many spirits as possible, and made spikes out of her own armour to repel those that had managed to cling to her.

Lin took a moment to appreciate her handiwork, but was surprised to see that the spirits she had wounded were already healing, like they were made of liquid. "Spirits can't be destroyed by any physical attacks, they can only be weakened. Split them into as many pieces as possible to slow their regeneration." Silver instructed, using a water whip to grab and throw several spirits. Lin noticed that Silver's bending was several levels above what Korra's had been, as her own, pure spirits aided her with every action, making sure that no dark one was able to lay a scratch on her.

Silver quickly grabbed Lin and lightly tossed her in the air, while using her other hand to create a small earthquake around herself, knocking the enemy spirits back. Lin saw what she had planned and used her metal cables like blades, and cleaved several chunks of rock from the cave ceiling, dropping them on the dark spirits and splattering them like rain drops on the hard stone floor.

Landing with a light thud on a boulder, Lin looked around to see the spirits forming together into a single, large mass. "They're combining together!?"

"No, one of the spirits is absorbing the damaged ones to grow stronger. We need to take it down; it's too dangerous to leave something like that down here." Silver said, trying to slow the growth of the giant with slices of high pressure air. Lin joined in with her metal cables, but the spirit was growing too fast and before long, it was fully formed.

It was a deep purple creature, with giant yellow eyes and an odd, star shaped nose. It's body resembled a giant badger mole, but it's claws were far longer and almost skeletal in appearance. With one swipe, it tore through Lin and Silver with ease, leaving both crumpled on the floor.

"Ugh…what the? There's no wound…" Lin said, examining her abdomen. She didn't feel any pain either, only a deep exhaustion, like her body hadn't rested in days.

"Strong spirits like this one can attack our souls directly. It can't kill us, but it can stop us from fighting. We need to be careful!" Silver said, groaning as she stood up. Lin nodded at Silver and then lunged forward, aiming her fist at the creature, a metal spike from her armour ready to impale it. The creature slashed again, but Lin was prepared and raised a rock wall to block the attack. It was thick enough that it could have stopped a charge from a rhino giraffe.

But it failed.

Like a ghost, the spirit's claws phased through the wall, through lin's armour and then through her body, striking only her soul and taking another chunk of her energy with it. Lin became too weak to maintain her bending, and she crumpled to the floor, directly in front of the spirit. Not missing it's chance, the creature returned to a liquid form and forced it's way inside Lin's throat. Silver watched with shock as the entire creature disappeared into Lin's body, possessing her.

Silver knew what would happen next; Lin's body would begin to be deformed by the creature. With a reluctant sigh, the First Avatar bound Lin in her own metal cables and then forced her to her knees. Silver needed to force the spirit out before Lin was deformed or damaged by the spirit monster, so she would need to bend the spirit out of Lin.

Focusing carefully on the creature, in order to separate it from Lin's spirit, Silver reached out with her own spirit and tugged. A bright light tendril emerged from Silver's finger and entered Lin's chest, pulling the enormous spirit out of the police chief and tossing it across the cavern, destroying several crystal formations as it flew. "Are you okay?" Silver asked, leaning beside Lin, who was panting hard.

"I'm fine. What the heck was that!?"

"Possession. If a person rejects the spirit, they can begin to deform, so I needed to get it out of you quickly. Don't worry, I'll finish this now." Silver said as her eyes began to glow.

The aura of fear that had been permeating throughout the catacombs since the Dark Spirits arrival suddenly began to disappear to be replaced by a grand and oppressive aura. Lin watched with an amazed face as Silver entered the Avatar state. It was the first time she had gotten to see the famed Avatar form, and it did not disappoint. "Spirits! Be calmed and return to your homes! This is your one and only chance!" Silver demanded, her voice backed by conviction and incredible power.

The demonic beast recoiled from the light that shone from the Avatar, but it did not stop it from attempting to destroy her. Slashing with its giant claws, it attacked Silver. The First Avatar sighed sadly and before the spirit could react, it's arm was severed by a sudden blast of water. The severed arm fell to the ground and separated into several smaller spirits again, each as vicious as the larger body. Piece by piece, Silver hacked away at the creature with powerful flames, winds and strikes of earth, turning the amorphous mass back into a horde of smaller, weaker spirits.

With a heavy heart, Silver began to bend water around each of them, sending spirits into the water to calm and purify the Dark Spirits. One by one, they were all enveloped in a bright light and disintegrated into a cloud of tiny balls of light. Once they were all gone, Silver floated back down to the ground and ended the Avatar State; the glow vanishing from her eyes as she watched the thousands of tiny balls of light bob around the sky like little fireflies. Lin struggled to her feet and walked to Silver, confused by the sad look that Silver was giving the light.

"I'm sorry. I hope you find peace in your new lives." She heard the woman say, tears forming in her eyes.

"What's wrong? You beat them right?" Lin asked.

"Yes, but I killed them in the process." Silver said simply.

"Since when can you kill a spirit?"

Silver shook her head. "Death for a spirit is not the same as it is for a human. Divine Spirits that die simply disappear until they regain their strength, but normal spirits are beings of pure energy. They grow by absorbing the energy around them and the experiences of humans. By purifying the ones which had been corrupted, I essentially killed the spirit they were, and caused them to be reborn as hundreds of smaller, new-born spirits."

Lin grimaced. "Spirits essentially grow by devouring each other? Grim."

Silver chuckled. "Not quite. When one spirit is absorbed by a larger one, they become a single entity, with no trace of either of the two parts. For example, if you and I were to be fused into one person, it wouldn't be the stronger one devouring the weaker, but both minds being fused into a new one. It's an entirely new person with none of the personality or feelings of its parts. That's why small spirits like these are so fleeting. I need to open the way for them to enter the Spirit World."

With that, Silver spread her arms out like she was going to hug the tiny creatures, but instead, a small light appeared from her chest. The spirits moved like a river of stars and flowed into the light, using Silver as a gate to the spirit world. The strain caused Silver to wince and groan, before falling to her knees, just as the last few passed through her.

"There…the Spirit World will raise them now. But something is bothering me about them."

Lin nodded. "This trip was a trap. But who set it? Who has the power to command Dark Spirits?"

"Dark Spirits are just normal ones that have been corrupted. They can be corrupted by negativity, chaos and the Seven Sins. These ones hoarded crystals like valuables, showing signs of greed." Silver said.

"So it was that Black Spirit of Greed then. Wait, didn't you say that Amon was the host for that one?" Lin said, remembering when Silver had explained it.

"Yes, but I think I may have been wrong. I'm certain that Amon's operation hasn't moved out of Republic City, and there's no way he would leave a trap like this for the two of us. Who would want both of us out of the city? Amon did not set this trap, and he isn't the host, so who is?" Silver asked herself.

Back in Republic City.

The chief of police, Saikhan, was looking reluctantly through the papers he had been handed. Several arrest warrants were amongst them, all signed by the same person. It was clear why these people had been targeted for arrest, and it wasn't the phony reasons that had been given on the warrants. They got in the way. Plain and simple.

Sighing as he added his signature to the warrants, he stood up and walked to his secretary.

"Have these processed and assemble the Riot Team. We'll be moving to arrest these people tomorrow." Saikhan instructed, getting nothing but a silent nod in return.

Normally it would be time for the worn officer to go home and be with his wife and family, but he had one more stop to make tonight. Getting in his old satomobile and driving to city hall, Saikhan parked and entered the familiar building. City Hall was eerie at night, and the knowledge of who waited within made it outright intimidating. Up the stairs and into the office of the east wing, Saikhan gave a brief nod to its occupant.

"Councilman Tarrlok, the warrants are signed and the Riot Team has been assembled for dawn tomorrow."

Tarrlok, who sat alone in the spacious office, smiled; his face a picture of satisfaction. Everyone who could stop his plans were out of the way, and all that was left was the last piece…

"Korra. I'm coming for you." he smiled.


	18. Chapter 18: Bleak Future PT1

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS IN POLL**

**5. Korra X Mako  
4. Korra X Tahno  
****3. Mako X Asami  
****2. Korra X Silver  
****1. Korra X Asami**

**The positions haven't changed for once! Though a few are closing in!**

**I hope you guys like the chapter!  
**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 18: Bleak Future PT1

The day after Lin and Silver left for Ba Sing Se, things began normally, just like always. The morning bell rang early, and the acolytes began they daily chores and the members of Team Avatar began their usual training regime.

Former Fire Lord Zuko trained Mako in the dragon style of firebending, Katara worked with Korra and Tahno on their waterbending, and Bolin and Asami sparred, training their bodies while their masters were away. It was a completely normal day, until a bright spot light shone down on Korra, blinding her.

"What the?" she complained, blocking the light from her eyes. The light was coming from a heavy duty spot light on the bottom of an airship which now flew overhead, along with three identical ones.

"The Police Riot Squad? What's going on?" Tenzin said, looking concerned as he saw the insignia on the side of the lead airship.

"DO NOT MOVE. WE HAVE THE ISLAND SURROUNDED. DO NOT RESIST OR WE WILL USE FORCE." A man declared over the intercom of the airship.

Before anyone could move or question what was happening, a several squads of elite police officers and members of the anti-equalist task force began to descend to the island, surrounding the members of Team Avatar. They quickly apprehended and tied up Mako, Bolin, Tahno, Asami and Korra, not giving any explanations but forcing them to their knees as the elders protested.

"You can't arrest someone without first reading the charges! What is this about!?" Tenzin yelled, his children hiding behind him.

Tarrlok, dressed in his task force armour descended to the island and stood in front of Tenzin and the arrested Teens, trying and failing to hide his smirk. "That is why I am here. I have the list of charges right here." He said, producing a series of documents.

"Ahem. Mako, under arrest for association with Equalists, gang activity with the Triple Threat Triad and damage of Republic City property. Bolin, under arrest for association with Equalists, gang activity with the Triple Threats and having an unregistered per from an endangered species. Tahno, under arrest for association with Equalists, bribing a probending official and assisting the escape of Hiroshi Sato. Asami Sato and Korra, both under arrest for association with Equalists and assisting Hiroshi Sato's escape." Tarrlok took cruel delight in the rage and shock on each teen's face as he read the charges.

Tenzin looked ready to explode.

"You better have very good proof for this. Arresting teenagers is one thing, but the Avatar is another." Zuko said, frowning.

"I have a lot actually. Mako, Bolin and Korra were all sighted at an Equalist Rally, Tahno was allegedly stripped of his bending by Amon, though still miraculously has it, and both Asami Sato and Korra were seen dressed as equalists, leaving an Equalist safe house and even training under Amon! I have an eye witness account from a double agent in Amon's little gang. I have documents and accounts to prove every other claim as well." Tarrlok's sickening smile only grew.

"You know that it's all lies, so why don't you give us the real reason for this? Still mad that I won't join your task force? Oh, I bet it was you who planned to have Lin leave with Silver! You're too scared to pull this with them here." Korra said, growling as she pulled at her binds.

Tarrlok tutted at her. "Now now, being belligerent won't help your case. The bail for each of them is 25,000 yuans, and Korra's is 100,000. They'll be waiting for you in jail until they are tried or you pay their bail."

Tenzin went pale. 200,000 yuans to free all of them was an insane amount of money! Mass murderers had smaller bails…

Korra struggled as she and her friends were hoisted into the air by the metalbenders and placed in the back of their airships. Tarrlok gave one last lingering smirk at Tenzin before getting back on his own airship and leaving the island. Zuko tapped Tenzin on the shoulder. "It'll take a day, but I can have the necessary money shipped here. We'll have them out by tomorrow."

Tenzin shook his head. "No we won't. Tarrlok isn't planning on letting Korra go. Something is very wrong here."

Katara and Zuko looked at each other worriedly. Tarrlok has always been a schemer, but something was different this time. The arrested Teens couldn't do anything to mess with his plans, unless he was an equalist, but if he was, he wouldn't have passed such vicious laws against them and non-benders.

Katara rubbed her chin. "Come to think of it, I think I met Tarrlok before he became a councilman." She said, trying to remember where they had met. All the colour drained from her face. "Oh no…"

"What is it?" Zuko asked.

"we need to get to Korra! There's a reason he wanted Silver out of the way! Tarrlok has business relationships with the current head of the White Lotus!"

Tenzin and Zuko looked with wide eyes before rushing off together. They would use every ounce of their authority to stop Tarrlok's plans before they began.

Meanwhile, the arrested Teens were dropped off, one by one at the Police Station. It wasn't until Korra was the last one that they began to take off again. "Wait, aren't I going to jail too?" Korra asked.

Tarrlok smirked. "No my dear, we've got a special cell for you at the Prison. The one you helped Hiroshi break out of."

Korra growled, "I didn't do it and you know it! stop with this stupid plan and tell me what's really going on."

Tarrlok roughly grabbed Korra's face and pulled it closer to him. "I have a few friends that are dying to see you again."

"Again? So it's someone I know. Are you going to sell me to those triad thugs? I did beat up a few on my first day here." Korra said, trying to remember their faces.

"No no, I'm not selling you to anyone. You'll see soon enough." The councilman smiled. Tarrlok had always creeped Korra out a bit, but never had he actually, truly scared her. So it was with a twinge of pride that the councilman carefully watched Korra, sitting in silence, as they arrived at the prison, docking the airship directly to the central tower. Korra would be kept in a single cell, with no walls and only bars, where she could be seen from any angle. It had been constructed right in the middle of the floor that she and her friends had fought Amon. Korra was led into the cell and then it was locked behind her. nothing out the ordinary, until the Avatar saw her guards.

White Lotus sentries.

"What's going on here? Why is the White Lotus guarding me?" Korra asked, wondering how much these sentries would know about their leader's true nature.

"The Avatar belongs to the White Lotus, so they are watching their property. Do be good, or they will do whatever they have to do put you back in line." Tarrlok sneered.

"Apologies Avatar Korra, but these are orders from the Grand Lotus himself." one reluctant sentry said, ashamed of showing his face in such a role.

Korra frowned. Her guards were mostly timid, too scared to look her in the eye. She could break free! If she could still earthbend…but with only Waterbending and the keys to her cell being carried away by the cackling Tarrlok, water didn't offer a way out for her.

"I'll be back to see you tonight Korra. I have a few guests as well! And just in case you try to escape, remember that your friends are currently in my care too. One wrong move, and they could get hurt." The corrupt councilman threatened, looking angry for the first time since Korra was arrested.

True to his word, Tarrlok returned to Korra's lonely prison in the dead of night. She had felt herself falling asleep as midnight came, but the sound and light from the docking airship stirred her from her drowsy state. Tarrlok walked down the gangway, followed by several White Lotus Sentries in distinctly darker uniforms. The navy blue was now a deep crimson, like the colour of dried blood, and the white colours and details were now as black as the night sky. These sentries carried themselves very differently than any Korra had seen. They showed her no respect, and more likely wanted to command respect from her.

The last man to enter the room was a tall, well-muscled man, roughly Tenzin's age, if not a little older. His hair was dark grey and neatly combed, hiding his receding hair line, and his dark beard was long but tamed. Korra had never seen this man before.

"I am Grand Lotus Tyraz. Leader of the Black Lotus' Avatar control division. I was called by our master to collect you for your re-education." Tyraz introduced himself politely, despite looking down on Korra like she was a naughty puppy.

"Black Lotus? And you have a master? Wait, is this the Black Spirit that Silver told me about?" Korra asked, trying to make sense of things.

"The Black Lotus is the natural evolution of the defunct White Lotus. My former master, Iroh of the Fire Nation, believed that peace and co-existence with the Avatar was necessary for Balance, but my new master showed me the truth. And you proved it." Tyraz knelt down beside Korra, separated from her only by the bars of her cell.

"You are wild, untamed and unruly. Like a wild dog, you bark and howl and bite, yet we are supposed to leave the fate of the world to you. I say no; I will not allow that. Like any wild dog, you will be tamed and commanded along the correct path, or you will be put down."

Korra scowled. "That's a load of garbage! It's not my job to be your obedient little puppy dog! So you think that just because you got a big bad Black Spirit behind you, you can control the Avatar? Even if you did manage to do anything to me, Silver would defeat you as easily as she did the first time. She'll make sure the Avatar is reborn into someone like me every time, so you can never control us."

Tyraz laughed. "Black Spirit? How quaint. My master is possessed by the power of the great Spirit of Darkness himself! He has the wisdom and strength of a god! He has no need for the power of lowly demons."

Korra spat in Tyraz' face, making him recoil in disgust. "No need for demons, but he works with cockroaches. Sounds like an idiot."

Tarrlok growled and stepped forward as Tyraz wiped his face. Korra did not get to enjoy her tiny victory for long before her very veins were set ablaze with pain. Korra's body convulsed, bending awkwardly as the fire spread through her blood.

"Y-You're a bloodbender!? But the full moon was-"

"I don't need such a trivial boost in power. Tyraz and I may not be friends, but we share a master, and you will not disrespect him!" Tarrlok said, releasing Korra from her torture. The poor girl fell back to the ground with a thud, panting as she relished the relief.

"You're insane. This has gone way too far. You can't take this back! Bloodbending is illegal! It's monstrous!" Korra yelled. Before she could continue her tirade, the Black Lotus Sentries pushed the white lotus ones out of the way and surrounded the cell. Bending water through the bars of the cell, Korra found herself surrounded by four rings of water. They began to glow a deep purple and soon, her body did the same. An entirely new pain spread through her, like the purple light was eating her body away from the inside.

She tried to scream, but only a pain-filled whimper escaped her throat before she was completely engulfed by the light. Her eyes faded and she fell into Tarrlok's waiting arms. He smiled victoriously.

"When you awaken, you will be fully under our command. You are ours now Korra; body and soul."


	19. Chapter 19: Bleak Future PT2

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS IN POLL**

**5. Korra X Silver  
4. Korra X Asami  
****3. Bolin X Asami  
****2. Korra X Mako  
****1. Korra X Tahno**

**I hope you guys like the chapter!  
**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 19: Bleak Future PT2

There is exists a space between dreams, and the waking world. This space, where reality and the infinite possibilities of the mind are melded together, can provide clarity and enlightenment for those that can attain it. Monks of the Air Nomad faith have tried for centuries, and many have succeeded in finding this mythical space and more than a few held the lofty position of Avatar.

The Bridge between the Spiritual and the Physical; it is in this intangible place of enlightenment that they can find their greatest allies. Their own past selves.

Korra did not awaken in her new cell, at the place she had been taken to by Tyraz and Tarrlok, but instead found herself in a strange grassy meadow. The blue sky went on for eternity and the lush green grass felt good on Korra's skin. It was a peaceful place, where not a single cloud could be seen. As Korra became aware of where she was, she stood up slowly, finding herself in an odd white kimono, similar to Silver's own.

"Where am I? What are these clothes?" she asked herself, looking down at her outfit and pulling at her long sleeves. She had no shoes, so she could feel the grass tickling her toes as she slowly stumbled through this world.

"This is the Mindscape. The world that exists within you." a calm, adult voice came. Korra turned around to be greeted by a man that was beyond familiar. The tattoos and robes may have confused her for a moment, but Korra would never mistake that face.

"Aang." She whispered, too surprised by all the strange events to even say more than his name.

"Hello Korra. I must say, it's nice to finally be able to speak to you. I've been watching you, and you haven't had an easy time of it, have you?" Aang smiled.

"No, I guess not. I'm sorry, but can you tell me what's going on? I'm clueless." Korra said, unusually shy in front of her famous predecessor.

"The four Black Lotus sentries performed their spiritual subjugation ritual on you. They essentially hypnotised your spirit into being their servant. It is the same technique they attempted to use on Silver. Like you, she was knocked out by it and taken to one of their bases. I just wish I had known about Tyraz before any of this happened. I may have been able to warn Iroh." Aang frowned.

Korra shook her head. "No one knew about him until it was too late. Heck, I lived with the White Lotus for around 13 years, and I had never even seen the guy! But I still don't understand how I got here, or why I'm in these clothes?"

Aang chuckled a bit. "I was quite surprised when I first arrived here too. This is a world that exists within your spirit. When the subjugation technique was used on you, your mind retreated here to keep itself safe. You'll remain unconscious in the outside world until you decide to leave. Oh, and the clothes come with the trip. You'll learn how to change them into your own ones as you get more spiritually aware. Luckily, since we're both Avatars, we can come and go from this space whenever we want, even after we've died."

"So any of the Past Avatars can come here? Can Silver too?" Korra asked.

"Yes, but her circumstances are very different. I'll let her tell you that when the time is right. As for me, I have a few friends I brought with me, to help tell you a story." Aang said and with a wave of his hand, two figures appeared beside him.

Korra didn't need an introduction for these two. Their faces were as famous as Aang's. "Chief Toph Beifong and Councilman Sokka. I can't believe it…"

"Hey kiddo. You were still a baby when I last met you! Nice to see you've grown up nicely." Sokka said, patting Korra on the head.

"Yeah, it's a shame we kicked the bucket before getting to see the new generation. Is Katara still as much of a drama queen as she used to be?" Toph said, punching Sokka's arm.

"Why hit me?"

"Why not?"

Korra looked bewildered by the two. They had been dead for a fair few years, but they still acted like they did when they were kids; at least if Katara's stories were accurate. "Um, yeah Katara is still the same, I think. She worries a lot about me and Tenzin, but that's because Tenzin doesn't know how to relax. Zuko's fine too, he's pretty laid back though. He's been helping my friend Mako, train."

"Zuko is laid back now? Didn't expect that. So Mako is your Team Avatar's firebender? Is he anything like Zuko was?" Sokka asked.

"He's mostly a cool guy, though he gets angry real easy, and he can be kind of a jerk." Korra laughed.

"Yup, definitely Zuko. About old Yakone has already kicked the bucket, but he's still causing trouble from beyond the grave, right?"

Korra looked at the water tribe warrior with confusion. She had heard the name Yakone, but that was about it. Aang sighed and Toph punched Sokka again. "We haven't told her that part yet! I think it's best if Aang tells it; he's better at words." Toph said, sitting in the grass, her metal armour clanking loudly.

Aang nodded and invited Korra to sit beside him, forming a kind of square formation with the three sitting spirits. "As you no doubt know, Yakone was a major triad boss in my era. Republic City was still young, but he was already building a criminal underworld which we couldn't shake even after he was long gone. Most importantly though, he was a bloodbender. And a powerful one. We arrested him, and after an escape attempt, I took his bending away, but that didn't stop him from disappearing, and having a child."

"So his kid is after revenge against the Avatar?" Korra asked.

"No quite. You see, Yakone was able to bloodbend anytime he wanted, without a full moon, or even in broad daylight. He gained the power after drinking water infused with incredible spiritual power. Water he got from the Black Lotus' true master. He got his bending back after escaping prison and finding his master again, but he left the organisation to start a family in the north. Reports that we made at the time said that when his master came to find him, still angry over being failed and then betrayed by him, Yakone offered up his son as tribute. The boy was in the Black Lotus ever since." Aang explained.

Korra's eyes narrowed. "Tarrlok. He bloodbent me! It wasn't a full moon, so it must have been him!"

"Tarrlok was a new arrival on the political scene of Republic City during my twilight years. His age would match up. Though it's not guaranteed by the Bloodbending, as many of the Black Lotus' elite members and associates were all given the power too. All elite members of the Black Lotus are super powerful benders." Toph said, her blank eyes staring off into the distance.

"So, there are more super bloodbenders running around? How am I supposed to deal with them!?" Korra yelled. Just one had left her unable to fight back, let alone an army of them.

"You are able to commune with the Water Spirits now, correct? They can flow through your veins, along with your blood, and stop any bender from trying to bloodbend you." Aang told her. Korra smiled and punched her palm. Now she had a way of fighting back! And with the Water Spirits also providing her with water to bend, she could really surprise the enemy!

Just as she was formulating a plan, she began to fade. Her body slowly becoming transparent. "What's going on!?" she yelled.

Aang frowned. "Our time is up. They're using their own spiritual techniques to force you out of this world. Whoever's in charge of the Black Lotus must have extensive knowledge of the Avatar. Silver is already on the way Korra, just hold on." Aang's voice began to sound more distant and Korra realised she was being pulled upward, into the sky. Her body faded away completely, and she suddenly found herself in a very unfortunate place.

She was in a cell, very similar to the one from the prison, but this time it was underground. It looked like it was some kind of basement, judging by what else was in the room. Crates and dusty boxes were everywhere, and what little was clean was being used by the room's other inhabitants. Tarrlok was watching her with a frown, which was an unusual expression for him.

Four men, possibly the same sentries from before, were currently trying to perform the same technique from before, though this time, Korra was resisting it slightly. She could feel water spirits inside her body and the way they distorted the water flowing in rings around her. it was so subtle, she doubted any bender would have noticed if the spirits weren't living within them. Aside from Tarrlok and the sentries, three other people were in the room. One was Tyraz, but the other two were different.

Very different.

The first was a little girl, younger than Jinora and maybe younger than Ikki, sitting on the last person's lap. Her appearance sickened Korra, as her skin was an unhealthy white, her eyes were yellow and her long black hair flowed messily to her thighs. She wore a tiny white night gown, almost like a hospital gown and around her ankles, wrists and neck were metal cuffs, like they were meant to chain her up with. The one on her neck even had a bit of chain hanging of it, like some kind of lead.

But the man she was sitting on was much worse.

His face was handsome, but familiar and his long onyx hair was as messy as the girls, though it was less sleek. His eyes were blood red and he wore black armour that looked like it belonged to a long gone era. 'Samurai' was the word Korra thought of, having seen it alongside a picture of similar armour in a book from Lin. But the thing that made him worse was his expression, and his aura.

His aura gave off pure malevolence and death, like he was the grim reaper himself, and his expression was a mild smile, like he was amused, as he watched Korra's floating form. He knew, Korra could see it in his eyes; he knew this technique wasn't working, but he was having too much fun watching to say anything. Eventually, he noticed Korra's eyes were open and he gently lowered the girl to the floor.

"Well well, my little runaway has finally awoken. You know you scared me when you disappeared from our compound in the south pole. I was so upset, I had to kill all the sentries that were stationed there. It was very messy, you naughty girl." The man said, his voice deep and sultry, even as he spoke to Korra in a mock-scolding tone, like she was some little kid.

Korra was gently lowered to the ground after the man gestured for his men to stop. She was at least a head shorter than the man before her, as he got as close to the bars as he could. Korra wanted to move to the other side, but kept her ground, so as not to appear weak.

"Who are you? Are you Yakone's master?" Korra asked.

She noticed Tarrlok stiffen at the name, confirming her suspicions. "So Tarrlok really is the one Yakone handed over to you. A slime ball with a slime ball son."

The man chuckled. "Aww, the kitten is growling at you Tarrlok my boy! Careful now, I think she has claws!" he cackled to himself. As his hysterical laughter died down, he suddenly reached through the bars and grabbed Korra's throat, pulling her roughly against the bars and scowling harshly.

"I am Necros. And you belong to me now."


	20. Chapter 20: Bleak Future PT3

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Silver  
4. Korra X Necros (seriously!?)  
3. Mako X Asami  
2. Korra X Mako  
1. Korra X Tahno**

**Well 20 chapters in and we've managed over 90 reviews! I'm really appreciative you guys :D**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and keep on reviewing :D**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 20: Bleak Future PT3

Korra struggled to breathe as she fruitlessly clawed at the hand around her throat. Her face hurt from being pulled hard against the bars of her cell, and she could feel a few drops of blood leaking down her lip from the force of impacting with them. Korra stared fearfully into the eyes of the man that held her, but the red eyes had no mercy in them.

Necros suddenly sighed and released her, effortlessly bending the bars of her cell with pure strength, then stepping inside to kneel beside her. He smiled kindly and caressed Korra's cheek, lifting a finger to her split lip, which healed itself at his touch.

"I am very sorry little girl, but when I get impatient, the other me comes out."

Korra shivered at his sickly sweet tone and noticed the way that the men around her smiled and chuckled at their master's antics. Only Tarrlok seemed uncomfortable; almost regretful.

"My lord, I feel that we should give some mercy to the girl. Give her a chance to obey willingly." Tarrlok offered. Necros could see the doubt in his servant's eyes, but it did nothing but entertain him.

"Oh Tarrlok; still feel guilty at having to bloodbend the little thing? She's not going to break from that alone! I'd be disappointed if she did."

Tyraz gave Tarrlok a dirty look. "He is too weak my lord. He has great fun with manipulating and playing with the girl's mind, but when it comes down to outright force, he shivers with fear. Such great bending prowess is wasted on him."

Necros moved to sit lazily beside Korra, beckoning the little girl from before to come back to him. The child smiled sweetly at both him and Korra, like she was oblivious to what was going on around her.

"What do you want with me?" Korra asked.

"Me? I want a companion. These subordinates are either too merciful, like Tarrlok, or too cruel, like Tyraz. But you are different! Fiery and passionate with the capacity for kindness. It's something I lack, thanks to my growing madness. I need you to complete my work and bring my rival to her knees." Necros said, watching as the girl on his lap played with one of Korra's bangs.

Korra frowned. "So, you are insane. How many different "Necros'" are running around in your head?"

"About forty seven give or take a few. Sometimes they come out every few minutes!" Necros leaned in close, so close that Korra could feel his hot breath on her face. "And sometimes they come out with no warning."

Tarrlok stepped forward. "Master, I think we should leave… We already know that Avatar Silver can find us, and she'll no doubt bring Amon and half of Republic City with her."

Korra smiled. "Hmm, afraid of Silver are you? You should be. I bet you couldn't even hold a candle to the First Avatar."

Necros chuckled. "Silver is the very person I need you to finally defeat. When we fight alone, we can never escape our little stalemate. We could fight to the end of time and neither of us would win. That's where you come in. Two of us could defeat her easily, and it would be so satisfying to turn you against her. It's a shame though, Tarrlok is right. We should leave before things get out of hand."

Tyraz motioned to his Black Lotus Sentries. "Lord Necros has given us an order. Incapacitate the prisoner and prepare to leave."

Necros scowled and pulled a dagger from his belt, before viciously stabbing Tyraz and throwing his gasping body to the floor. "Korra will go back to Silver. I want her to know I'm here. And for Korra to consider my little offer…" The mad man firmly grasped Korra's wrist, pulling her to her feet roughly and then placed a small black ring on her finger.

"This is so I can find you. Remember me, little kitten, and remember…" he leaned in close, to whisper in her ear. "Silver cannot stop me from getting you. No one can. If you never resist me, I'll never have to hurt you."

Releasing Korra, he turned to his men. "Leave Tyraz, let Silver have a corpse to let her know I'm coming for her. Tarrlok, do ensure that Korra is not late for her reunion with her friends."

"Yes my lord. Avatar, I suggest you run." Tarrlok said, lifting his hands, as if threatening to bloodbend her. Korra could see the threat was a lie, but she didn't want to test the mad man in front of her, so she turned on her heels and fled. She found the stairs to the cabin and ran up to the main floor, only to be confronted by a masked face.

"Amon…not you too." She said; her body too tired to resist.

From behind her, Necros' voice could be heard, now in a dangerous tone, indicating another personality shift. "On second thought, she's too dangerous to release. Kill the Equalists and reclaim the Avatar."

Korra cursed the man's many personalities and dodged past Amon and his Equalists, whom made no attempt to stop her. The Equalist Lieutenant leaned closer to Amon, just as Tarrlok and the Black Lotus emerged. "Are you sure we should let her go?"

"Avatar Silver has made me a very rare deal. It would be remise of me to refuse it. Subdue these bloodbenders so that they may be equalised." Amon said, his voice low as he looked Tarrlok in the eye.

"I don't have time for you… Korra is getting away." Tarrlok said, growling as he used his waterbending to pull snow from outside the cabin through the wall, distracting his comrades and the Equalists, so he may flee.

Outside the Cabin, a mini war was already being waged between Equalists and the Black Lotus forces outside. A few steps ahead, Korra was already surrounded by three of Necros' men. The young Avatar felt like surrendering right there. She was tired, too tired to fight and too tired to run. The Black Lotus, meeting Aang and Necros…so much had happened in such a short time that she was just too warn out to keep going.

Korra sighed and prepared to raise her hands in defeat, leaving the rest to Silver, when she was gripped by familiar pain as all three Black Lotus members bloodbent her. The searing pain was too much and she screamed; a harrowing cry that echoed across the snowy mountain.

Silver, who had raced through the Spirit World in order to get back to the city and find Korra, heard this cry as she assisted the Equalists in defeating the Black Lotus. She wheeled around and used a massive burst of fire to clear a path to the girl, but by the time she reached Korra, something unexpected happened.

The three bloodbenders collapsed, each convulsing as they came under the effect of the very same power they had subjected Korra to. Behind them was Tarrlok, looking scared and angry as he reduced the three men to unconsciousness.

"This has gone too far! I'm done with all of this crap!" he roared. Calming down slightly, he looked at Korra, not noticing Silver behind him. "I am sorry Korra. I won't ask your forgiveness but you must stop Necros. And you must stop me."

These were his last words before he bent the snow beneath Korra, sending her flying down the hillside and far out of the battle. Silver noticed Korra land safely before grabbing Tarrlok. "We need to have a discussion. Get out of here and hide. I can't have Necros kill you before I hear what you have to say."

The councilman, almost as weary as the younger Avatar, nodded submissively before turning and fleeing. Silver tried to get her head on straight as she turned around, quietly surveying the chaos. Equalists were dropping like flies, and the Black Lotus soldiers were falling just as easily. Amon was fighting beside his lieutenant, removing the bending of soldier after soldier as they came at him and were easily subdued. When Silver had returned to the city and found her friends arrested and Tenzin without answers, she went in search of Amon, who would be the only person who would have any inkling as to what was going on. In return for his help in saving Korra, Silver promised not to fight against him directly in the coming war.

But they all had to survive before they could have their war, and a very malevolent person had just wandered onto the battlefield.

Necros slowly walked out of the cabin, the hand of the little girl grasping his own. Laughing maniacally, he threw a ball of black fire at a pair of fighting soldiers, seriously wounding both the Equalist and his own man.

Amon cursed "He can bend all the elements, do not engage him! Retreat!" he roared.

Necros looked at Amon with disappointment. "Aww little masked man! I wanted to kill a few more people tonight! My little kitten just got out after all! Oh and Silver." he looked to Silver, his face going from his silly persona to the cruel one. "If you don't be careful, I may have to kill her. It would be a shame, but there are always more Avatars!"

"You won't hurt her, I'll kill you first!" Silver snarled, scaring the girl on Necros' arm.

"You couldn't even if you wanted to, and we both know you never would. You could never truly hurt me, just as I couldn't hurt you…before this I mean. Before Wan locked up my other half."

Silver charged at him, ducking under a haphazard fire ball to viciously slap him across the face. "YOU ARE NOT HIM! You are nothing but a foul imposter who stole his body."

Necros threw his head back and cackled, completely unfazed by the blow. "You can't stop me, now or ever. But since I am rather impressed by you and how strong Korra is, I will pull back for now. But first…"

Necros mimicked Tarrlok's earlier move by using the snow to grab Amon and toss him down the mountain, making sure he wouldn't be a threat. "Can't have him sealing any more of my men's bending. It would take me hours to undo it all! Maybe I'll just kill them instead…"

Before Silver could lash out in anger, Necros vanished into the shadows, along with the little girl. Silver hadn't seen the girl before…maybe she was just another experiment? Necros didn't seem to notice she was there… Growling, silver turned back to the battlefield, determined to defeat as many bloodbenders as possible before they all escaped.

Meanwhile, in a small grove just down the mountain from Tarrlok's cabin, Korra stirred, slowly coming to in the snow. Her body was cold, but she was too tired to really notice. A part of her knew that if she went to sleep right there, she would never wake up, but it took all of her strength to keep her eyes open. She was so tired, she thought she could see a giant wad of moving snow!

"Wait…that's not snow… Naga!" Korra smiled, eagerly welcoming the warm fur of her animal guide and saviour. "Hey girl, I guess you caught my scent."

"She did indeed. And I caught her."

Korra looked up and saw Takona, wearing nothing but pants and a vest and clearly not happy about that. "Takona? How did you…"

"I saw Naga running around while I was cleaning up after school. I recognised her and followed her, after hearing you had been arrested. I didn't have a chance to put my warm clothes on before I had to chase after her."

Korra smiled as Takona pulled her up gently and placed her on Naga's back. "Thank you Takona."

"It' fine. My home is closer than Air Temple Island, and you'll freeze soon, I'll take you there and then back home once you've rested. For now, just sleep."

Korra didn't need telling twice and quietly drifted off, the sounds of the battle and the memories of Necros fading away like a bad dream.


	21. Chapter 21: Picking up the Pieces

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Mako  
4. Korra X Asami  
3. Korra X Silver  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Tahno**

**All of the top ten pairings are so close to each other that just a couple of votes is the difference between 5th and first place!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 21: Picking up the Pieces

Korra's head was full of jumbled and disjointed memories. As she lay in the warm, unfamiliar bed, she tried to piece together what had happened; what was real and what had just been a nightmare inside her own head. Tiny water spirits still moved through her body, fixing her from the inside, fixing her disturbed blood flow and cleansing her spirit.

As they worked, Korra put the order of events together. She had been arrested by Tarrlok and eventually taken to his cabin in the mountains. He had been revealed as a bloodbender and the son of Yakone, but it seemed he had tried to redeem himself at the last minute. She had met Necros, whose madness had terrified her, and he had a rivalry with Silver, which neither could end. He could also bend all four elements, but Korra didn't know how. Silver had joined up with Amon to rescue her and she had fallen down the mountain and been rescued by Naga and Takona.

Remembering Takona, Korra opened her eyes wide and saw where she was. It was a small apartment; only a bedroom, living room, bathroom and kitchen, and none of them were particularly well decorated. The bedroom had a vanity, two cabinets and a large double bed, which Korra occupied. Looking down, Korra had several small cuts and bruises which had been mostly bandaged up, and her clothes had been replaced by a plain night dress, not unlike the one that was worn by the girl beside Necros.

Korra blushed as she realised that someone had changed her, but Takona, who was watching her from the vanity, smiled. "Don't worry, I had my female assistant from the school bathe and dress you. You've been unconscious for a full day. Tenzin is already aware that you're here, and has asked me to return you when you've recovered. He wasn't keen to move you."

"Thank you for all the help Takona. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me." Korra said, blushing. It was odd for her to be the one being rescued. As Avatar, she always viewed herself as the rescuer.

"No thanks are necessary. I made up a hot stew to warm you up. Come with me, you can be eating while I call Tenzin and Lin." Takona said, getting up and helping Korra out of the bed.

"Lin's back from Ba Sing Se?" Korra said.

"Yes, she returned yesterday. Apparently she was on a trip with Avatar Silver, but returned early. Avatar Silver hasn't been seen since that little mountain battle of yours." Takona said, helping Korra slowly walk to the living room.

"Silver has gone missing? I hope she wasn't hurt by Necros…or caught by Amon."

Takona chuckled. "I didn't see much of the battle while following Naga, but I did see enough. Necros, assuming he was the big scary red eyed guy, fled before fighting Silver. And it looked like Amon and Silver were working together. As for Tarrlok…his disappearance has left the city in a state of martial law."

"Things escalated really quickly. I get captured, meet a psychotic maniac that has it out for Silver, get caught in a battle between Amon and Tarrlok and now the whole city is going nuts. I don't know what to do." Korra said, finally sitting at the dinner table, waiting for Takona to finish making his stew.

Takona sighed and filled a couple of bowls before sitting across from Korra. "Eat up, while it's hot." He said, handing one bowl to Korra. "You are worrying too much. Stop and think what needs to be done; let Silver turn up, then try and find Tarrlok. Deal with Necros when he turns up again. There's no good in stressing yourself to the breaking point over a hundred different things."

Korra sighed, as she knew Takona was right. They ate in silence, though since both were feeling the cold air of winter, they ate fast, eagerly filling themselves with the piping hot stew. The young Avatar was filled with renewed strength and after helping Takona with the dishes, she went off to change clothes.

"No need to change yet. I called Tenzin, and he's bringing some fresh clothes. Lin and your parents are coming too." Takona told her as he turned the radio on. He was careful to turn it to a music only channel, not wanting to have the news stress Korra anymore.

Within half an hour, there was a knock on the door and Takona opened it, letting in the four guests. Senna and Tonraq quickly hugged their daughter, checking her over and looking sad and worried at the scratches and bandages. Takona explained everything that had happened to them while Korra changed into her normal outfit and when she returned, she told them everything from her end too.

"So Tarrlok was behind it. We think that he may be the one possessed by a Black Spirit, instead of Amon." Lin said, parroting what Silver had said. "The vault in Ba Sing Se was a trap to get Silver and I out of the city. When we realised what was going on, I caught a train back and Silver went through the Spirit World. I got back after Takona had already saved you." she told Korra.

Tenzin nodded. "We knew something was very wrong when we went to the jail. Saikhan said that you had been moved somewhere else and Tarrlok had already left the city. He came back to take you from the prison, but disappeared again before we could talk to him. Silver turned up not long later and then pursued you to the mountains. We haven't seen you since."

"So Silver and Tarrlok are both still missing? Any Equalist or Black Lotus Activity in the city?" Korra asked.

"The Equalists have been doing their usual thing, but Amon hasn't been seen. I had my militia arrest all the White Lotus sentries on the island and we're waiting to question them. We'll have you and Silver do that, since no one else knows anything about them." Lin said.

Korra nodded and sighed. She decided that since Necros was long gone and his Black Lotus Sentries were no longer a threat (at the moment) that it would be best to deal with the Equalists first. "Then I think we should save my friends. I'm not going up against Amon without all four of them with me."

Tenzin smiled. "Not being the lone wolf this time? I approve of this change."

"Yeah well, between having Silver and Takona save me and being beaten and knocked about by Amon and Necros, I really don't think I can do this on my own as well as I used to. I need you guys, all of you." Korra said, looking around the room at her parents, Lin, Tenzin and Takona.

"I'll be happy to help you." Takona said, grinning as he pumped his fist. "The police force should be ashamed to arrest innocent kids. I'll give them all a time out they won't soon forget!"

Lin laughed. "I can't say I'm happy to see my men kowtow to that idiot Saikhan. I'll give him a good beating and a reminder to stay out of politics!"

Tenzin shook his head. "I was hoping that now Korra was accepting help from others, the next step would be to help calm her aggressive side! You two are not helping. Though I do believe something should be done to save them."

Senna and Tonraq chuckled to themselves. "We'll help too. Though you may have to blame us for Korra's more fiery side." Senna remarked, bending the water from a nearby vase. "We weren't exactly tame when we were young!"

"Tell me about it. Courting you was like trying to wrestle a Polarbear dog into a corset." Tonraq joked, making Korra cringe at the thought.

"Then it's settled. We'll go to the jail tonight and break them out." Korra smiled, punching her palm.

Tenzin shook his head. "From defending a prison to breaking into one. Nothing is normal around this girl…"

Meanwhile, several miles outside of the city, in the snow covered mountain slopes, Silver was inside the heavily damaged remains of Tarrlok's cabin, carefully healing her many minor wounds.

She cursed herself. This always happened around Necros… she'd get worked up fighting his goons and she'd become reckless, letting herself get hit by attacks that she could normally dodge blindfolded! The woman grumbled to herself as she leant against the only still standing wall, using a self-made shelter of ice to keep the snow off of her. As the last of her wound was washed away with glowing water, the woman looked up sternly at the man who sat in the snow ahead of her, morosely looking at the battlefield.

There were weapons and bloodstains all over the normally crisp white snow, and numerous footprints, body prints and drag marks from where people had fallen and been dragged away by their comrades. No one had died in the fight, other than Tyraz, who had been murdered before it had even begun, but Tarrlok still felt great guilt as he gazed over the bloodied snow.

"Why look so guilty? You didn't do any of this." Silver said, looking angrily at him.

"I did, and you know it. If I hadn't brought Korra here…if I had never agreed to serve Necros."

"Shut up, we both know that he'd have killed you if you refused. There was a good chance he'd kill you if you said yes! Necros gets his name from the Necropolis; the place in the Spirit World were evil humans are kept after they die. He relishes in sending evil people there. Maybe that's why he killed Tyraz but not you." Silver said, getting up and walking to the disgraced waterbender.

"You don't think I'm evil?" he said, surprised.

"No. I think you're an idiot who got in over his head and then couldn't get out. I saw you save Korra. Why did you do it?" Silver asked. "Why the change of heart."

Tarrlok frowned. "I had never bloodbent another person. Korra was fun to torment, in a way. Not to hurt, but to watch her blush and pout as she tried to sound like an adult. I was ordered by Necros to bloodbend Korra if she got out of hand, and when Tyraz gave me the signal in the prison, I did it. It was horrid. Watching her writhe in agony was pure hell…not as bad as the hell I put her through."

"So you regretted it. you wanted to mess with her, but never really hurt her? Like a simple school yard bully."

"I guess that's a good way of putting it." Tarrlok admitted, not feeling up to being prideful.

"So who was your bully?" Silver asked. The question was met with a confused stare.

"Who bullied you? Most bullies are only like that because they have someone bigger picking on them. Who has you under their thumb? Was it Necros? Yakone…?"

"Or your brother."

Tarrlok stared hard at Silver, anger and surprise in his expression. "What did you say?"

"I know about your brother, Tarrlok. The one that Yakone really wanted to offer to Necros. I know how he ran away and left you in his place. He was always better than you at waterbending and bloodbending; was he the one that picked on you? That made you feel so small that you needed to inflict the same on someone else?"

"No!" Tarrlok yelled. "He never made me feel small! He was kind and caring…but the power of bloodbending doesn't leave one with the soundest of minds. He slowly began to hate himself, his bending and the world. And then he was gone forever. His bones are probably still freezing beneath a pile of snow somewhere in the North Pole."

Silver shook her head. "No Tarrlok. Your brother is alive…and I know exactly where he is."


	22. Chapter 22: Secrets and Lies

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Mako  
4. Korra X Silver  
3. Korra X Tahno  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Bolin**

**This chapter will have a little surprise in it, so i hope you enjoy :D**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 22: Secrets and Lies

After getting Korra from Takona's home; the older members of Team Avatar (along with Takona and Korra's parents) went to Lin's apartment, where she kept several supplies and documents from her career as a police officer. Korra wasn't surprised to see that the place seemed as cold and hard as its owner as they gathered around the seldom used kitchen counter. Lin had gone to a locked office and returned with a large piece of blue paper, spreading it out before them.

"This is a blue print of the Police Station and the attached jail. I got this after we needed to rebuild it a few years ago. Damn Triple Threats… anyway, assuming Saikhan is too lazy to change the patrol times and routes, like I know he is, I can tell exactly when and where the patrolling officers will be." Lin said.

"So what's our first step?" Korra asked.

"we need to know where in the jail they are being held. Asami will be on the second floor, since she'll be in the women's jail, but we need to know which row of cells, so we can take out the alarms. If I metalbend their doors open before we turn them off, the alarm will alert the entire police force, even those not in the station." Lin told her, pointing to the different cell rows on both the first and second floors.

Tenzin sighed. "So how do we turn them off?"

"We go to the lightning cell. It's a back-up power generator in the basement, manned by firebenders. It keeps the jail locked up tight in case of a power cut. The fuse boxes are there and are divided between cell rows. We just break the fuses for the right cell rows, bust open their cells and get out before anyone knows what's happening." Lin smiled.

"Sounds simple enough. How are we going to do it?" Korra asked.

Lin smirked. "I'll pay a little visit to Saikhan to find out their cell numbers. I've been meaning to give him a beating. While I'm doing that, Tenzin will sneak into the lightning cell and hit the fuses while Lin, Senna and Korra go to Asami's cell, and Tonraq goes with Takona to the boys' cell, hopefully they'll be together. Then when the power goes out, I'll open Asami's cell and then the boys'. Easy enough."

"And if we run into any metalbender police?" Tonraq asked.

"You're a smart man honey, use your imagination." Senna retorted, admitting to herself that she was way too excited for this. Korra got her wild streak from someone after all, and it wasn't Tonraq!

So with Tenzin and Tonraq looking doubtful, and Senna and Korra looking excited, they waited until late evening, when most of the cops would be either on patrol, or home. The few that were left were guarding the various cell rows in their usual patterns, just as Lin has hoped. Keeping a hooded cloak over Tenzin and Korra, to stop them being recognised, they all entered the police station, with Lin going to the front desk and the others going to sit down, waiting for the signal to sneak into the jail.

The secretary greeted Lin nervously. She was a small woman, likely working her very first job. "Um, hello Miss Beifong. Can I do anything for you?"

"Yes. You can keep quiet as I go to Saikhan's office. I don't want him to know I'm coming." Lin said sternly, giving the girl her best angry look.

"O-Of course. His office is just-"

"I know the way." Lin cut her off, walking behind the desk to the back of the police station. Korra felt a little sorry for the girl, who was so flustered that she had to stop her work and take a breather outside. Luckily, as no one else was in the room at this time of evening, it gave Korra's group the perfect chance to sneak into the jail. The man working the jail's front desk was lazy and had neglected to where his armour, giving Korra the perfect opportunity to slink behind him and chi-block him, knocking him unconscious whilst making it look like he had just fallen asleep.

"Now we wait." Korra said, sitting on the desk.

A sudden series of loud shrieks and screams came echoing throughout the jail and police station, accompanied by loud smashes and the sound of breaking glass. Less than a minute later, a mildly panting Lin walked through the door, with slightly bruised knuckles. "That was fun. Tahno is in cell row B, cell 2. Mako and Bolin are in B-5 and Asami is in cell row D, Cell 5. Get to it Tenzin." Lin smirked. Tenzin nodded and swept past her, silently running into the prison's cafeteria, which led to the maintenance area, and the stairs to the lightning cell, in the basement.

Tenzin's speed and soundless footsteps allowed him to easily make his way past each guard that was near him and he was able to enter the lightning cell without difficulty. Inside, he was left amazed by the contraption within. A kind of cylinder, filled with blue liquid and connected to several strange little antennae on the floor of the room, was hanging from the ceiling. Firebenders, each bare chested (with the exception of one shirt wearing female) and wearing a gas mask. Tenzin knew why as he immediately felt the hot, foul smelling air on his throat.

A firebender engineer suddenly shot lightning at one of the antennae, illuminating the dark room and nearly making Tenzin wet himself. 'They can't see me in here unless they're lightningbending!' he thought. 'I'll use that…'

Timing his movements from shadow to shadow, the old monk was able to get to the large fuse box without being caught even once. He waited for another loud crack of electricity before wrenching the cover from the fuse box and quickly found the fuses for Cell rows B and D. With a fast and intense slash of wind, both fuses were sliced through. In the lightning cell, nothing happened, so the engineers were unaware of the sabotage, even as Tenzin replaced the cover and made for the exit.

However, Choas was erupting in the rooms above. Each Cell Row had fifteen cells, and most held anywhere from one to five prisoners, so shutting off two of these rows was bound to cause commotion. Lin, who was with Korra and Senna outside of Asami's cell, easily broke open the door and pulled Asami out without a word, shocking the heiress.

"Lin, Korra! I'm so glad you're okay! one of the guards said you'd gone missing!" Asami said as she ran with Korra, dodging a metalbender cop before Lin knocked him out with a punch.

"Only missing for a day. There's a lot to tell you, but first we save the boys." Korra said, opening her water chakra and allowing the little spirits into her body. A second later, she was firing icicles seemingly from her skin, shocking her friends and opponents alike.

"I didn't know waterbenders could do that!" Asami smiled.

"They can't. Avatar Spirit Magic!" Korra laughed.

"Ladies, can we please rescue the boys before getting into ludicrously complicated subjects." Lin sighed, catching two cops in her metal cables and smashing them together. Korra, Asami and Senna fought quickly through the few, mostly undertrained cops and quickly arrived on the first floor, only to find Tonraq and Takona already surrounded by police officers and Saikhan himself; his face heavily bruised from Lin's earlier attack.

Performing a graceful flip, Korra leapt over the small crowd to right in front of her father and friend, only to discover that the boys were already free from their cell and the inside was encased in ice. "Whoa, what happened?" Korra asked as she made an ice wall between them and the police.

"The weird little spirit inside Tahno! A glowing winged egg flew out of his chest and froze the cell and busted down the door! It happened just as the power went out." Bolin said, looking amazed."

"Forget about that, are you okay!?" Tahno asked, a little blue chick on his shoulder.

Mako and Bolin noticed where Tahno was looking, and saw the bandages around Korra's body. It was clear that she had taken a beating. "I'm alright. It's worse than it looks. We'll explain things at home, but first we need to escape. Got any plans?"

Lin smashed the wall of ice herself, surprising Korra and the men inside it. "Its fine Korra, it's over." Lin said, looking angry about something.

Korra frowned at Lin's expression and poked her head out of the ice shell, only to grin widely at who she saw. "Silver!" she yelled, running out of their little barricade to hug her mentor.

"Korra, I'm glad you're okay. But I'm surprised you tried to break your friends out… guess we should have gotten back sooner, huh Tarrlok?" Silver said, looking at her miserable looking companion.

Tarrlok stood nearby, angrily ordering metalbender cops around and telling Saikhan to get back to his normal work. Noticing Silver referring to him, he awkwardly walked over. "This little stunt made it difficult, but I was able to force Saikhan to pardon you all and free the teenagers." He said.

"You mean you made him undo the same stuff you caused!" Mako yelled.

"I have a lot of explaining to do, I know that. But for now, you're free, and I am in Avatar Silver's debt. My first and only real obligation now, is to apologise to you Korra. I was horribly wrong, arresting you and handing you to the Black Lotus…and even more wrong in doing the other thing…bloodbending you. For that, I am eternally sorry." Tarrlok bowed his head sincerely, surprising Korra.

Korra sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "From what Avatar Aang told me while I was unconscious, it sounds like your dad forced you into it. I'll forgive you, but you need to help fix the trouble you caused. Like undoing the anti-equalist laws and doing more to help the non-benders that you victimised."

Tarrlok stood with his mouth agape, just staring at this girl. He had done the unthinkable and actually bloodbent her…he had arrested her friends and nearly sold her into slavery to an evil psychopath…and she was going to forgive him so easily? "You are too kind Korra… I promise I will repay this debt I owe you."

Korra grinned. "Good, having two councilmen on my side will be useful!" she joked. "But I want to know everything about what you did with the Black Lotus; that Necros was completely insane, and he's a murderer. We can't delay in dealing with him."

Silver was about to make a comment on Necros when she saw someone move out of the corner of her eye. Takona took one look at Silver and slowly slinked away, disappearing down the cell row while the others were distracted. Without a word to the others, Silver pursued him. She had no doubts…she knew Takona from somewhere!

Rounding the corner and seeing the man try to escape through a fire exit, Silver froze the door shut, cornering the man. "It's been a while since I've seen your face. What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I'm doing what I've always done; what I've done since you left me in this city over sixteen years ago!" Takona yelled.

"You're playing with Korra's head!? She told me all about the great school teacher who helped her and had such a great school. What makes you think I'll let you continue to get away with this!?" Silver said, growling as she approached the man.

"Because we had a deal. We made it earlier today, did we not?"

Silver cringed. In her head, she still had trouble connecting the man she had promised to avoid, with the one in front of her. "Just tell me why? Why are you doing this?"

Takona frowned, quickly bending the ice from the frozen door into a mist so he could make his escape. Silver followed him, but found he had already leapt from the fire escape. "Come back!" Silver screamed.

"Not this time Silver. Not until all are equal."

And with that, Takona pulled from his pocket, the most familiar mask in Republic city history, donned it, and ran away, disappearing into the shadows.

Silver felt tears prick at her eyes. "Damn it all… What happened to you? Noatak…"


	23. Chapter 23: Sins of the Father

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

**5. Mako X Asami  
4. Silver X Amon  
3. Korra X Mako  
2. Korra X Bolin  
1. Korra X Tahno**

**I hope you like the chapter!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 23: Sins of the Father

Following their little adventure at the police station, Team Avatar and Tarrlok made their way back to the Air Temple Island, where Silver had something planned. The woman herself had vanished somewhere, saying she needed to go do something, but she had mentioned that Takona had already gone home, as he had work the next day.

Despite how hectic the last few days had been, Korra felt oddly relaxed. Something was keeping her spirits up, and she wasn't sure what. Maybe she was just glad that her friends and family were all together. With Amon and Necros still on the loose, she should have been more worried, but as she rode on the ferry, her father's arm around her shoulders and surrounded by friends, Korra couldn't help but feel comfortable, looking up at the stars.

Tarrlok stood as far away as possible, not wanting to approach the young Avatar out of shame. He cursed himself for the umpteenth time, wondering why he had ever even thought of getting involved with her. It was because she was so cute and easy to mess with! That naivety was appealing to the older, jaded man.

'She's seventeen!' Tarrlok reminded himself. 'I am not some old letch!'

As most of the younger people were ignoring the water councilman, Tenzin decided it would be a good chance to talk to the man alone. "Tarrlok, I need to speak to you."

"What is it Tenzin? Do you want to give me a good lecture before the young ones tear me apart?" Tarrlok said bitterly.

"Considering your apology to Korra, I have a feeling you are already willing to accept that punishment. I want to know why though. You were such a devoted councilman when you first started. You loved Republic City, and while you did take more pleasure than normal from manipulating people, you were never a bad man. I want to know how things got so bad." Tenzin said, speaking kindly to Tarrlok for the first time in years.

The water tribesman looked away in disgrace. "I am my father's son. The son of a disgusting bloodbender and a criminal. He controlled everything and everyone…and I became just like him."

"The way I see it, you were controlled and manipulated by him, and when you got a taste of being in control, you relished it and did whatever you had to to keep feeling it. Feeling like you are in charge. I know the feeling." Tenzin admitted. "Like Korra, I was always in my father's shadow; trying to live up to his legacy. I always admired the respect he got and the great responsibility he seemed to handle so easily…I wanted that; and now I have it, but it did not make me the great man it made him."

Tarrlok frowned. "So, it seems we were both living in the shadow of our fathers. Funny how hard we try to preserve their legacies. I didn't even like my father!"

Tenzin nodded. "It was hard for Korra too. As Avatar, she felt like a failure for failing to meet the expectations set by people's view of my father. Aang was a good man, but we are in a different age, and I feel that a different kind of Avatar is needed. It is why Silver did what she did; taking Korra's bending."

"Knocking her back to square one, so she could better appreciate who she is, as opposed to who she could be? I think I understand that." Tarrlok admitted, smiling. "Thank you Tenzin. And I am sorry for always making things hard for you on the council. At least now, if I keep my position, we can work together and make this city great."

Tenzin grinned widely. "I would like that. Come, we've arrived."

The ferry docked on the island and everyone got off and made for the meditation hall, their usual meeting point. It was late, so most of the monks were either asleep or finishing the last of the day's chores. When they entered the hall, they found that Silver had already beaten them back.

"Hey, took you long enough." Silver smirked. "I brought a guest, I hope you don't mind." Silver said, pointing her head toward a familiar woman. Kye Akari was sitting beside Silver, a small smile on her face.

"It's been a while. I hear there's been some interesting developments since I left. Care to fill me in."

Everyone sat down and Korra took a deep breath. "Well…"

The next hour was a hard one. Korra explained everything about Necros and what had happened when she was arrested, causing a lot of angry looks being directed at Tarrlok when it got to the point on bloodbending. Tenzin and Katara were thrilled at hearing about Korra meeting Aang in the mindscape, glad she had finally made some head way into her spiritual training. The last mention of the insane Necros left chills in everyone, even Silver and Kye.

"Necros is still around then. I hoped he's given up years ago." Kye said, stroking her chin in thought. "And he's been manipulating the White Lotus and his own faction, the Black Lotus, ever since Iroh passed away? You realise that that means he's been in control of Korra since she was four."

Silver nodded. "And he isn't going to let her go either. I think he's allowed Korra to remain in this city simply because he wanted to draw me out. He knows that keeping her locked up has damaged her prospects as an Avatar, so he's using me to train her. Plus he thinks it will make it more devastating when he turns her against me."

"He'll never win! I'm not siding with that freak." Korra yelled.

"I know Korra, but he can do a lot. He would kill, torture and manipulate anyone, regardless of age or gender to get what he wants." Silver said with a frown.

"He sounds like a horrid man." Pema added, pouring tea for everyone.

"Yes, he is. At least half of him is anyway. Something happened over ten thousand years ago that resulted in his mind shattering. Every bit of his personality has split off into a completely unique persona. His ruthlessness, his cruelty, his drive and his wrath." Silver muttered, looking at her reflection within the tea.

"When I was with him, he was mostly kind. He acted like I was a toy, or a pet, but he was only ever aggressive to me once, when he grabbed me. The only thing I did notice about him that was really important, was that he bent multiple elements. How is that possible?" Korra asked.

Silver sighed. "In the era I was born in, the same era he calls home, there were no true benders, who had the power in their bodies from birth. You see, all bending comes from spirits; in the past, humans took lesser elemental spirits into themselves to gain the power to bend. Those spirits, over several generations, began to leave pieces of themselves in humans. If an animal spirit or something similar fuses with a living thing from the mortal world, then they will slowly warp that thing into a copy of itself; reforming the physical body to match the spirit one. If they leave too fast, the changes already caused become permanent. Elemental spirits work similarly, but they don't have normal physical appearances, so the only change is giving the power to control the element."

"So benders were born after the ancient people combined with spirits? And Necros gained his power by fusing with spirits of all four elements." Tenzin deduced.

"Indeed. I gained my bending in a similar fashion, though it was a little different in my case." Silver said.

Tarrlok listened carefully to this, having heard very little from Necros himself. Unlike Tyraz, he had never actually been a member of the Black Lotus, and served Necros directly. "While I was in his service, I asked him about you, Avatar Silver. he mentioned that you and he were the same kind of being called a Kami."

Silver looked surprised. "I'm surprised he told you that. A Kami is essentially a Divine Bender. Humans that fuse with Animal Spirits become Chimeras, those that fuse with Elemental Spirits become Spirit Mediums and those that fuse with Divine Spirits become Gods. Ancient humans worshipped gods, as men and women who held divine power. But if a person is born a chimera, spirit medium or god, then they are given a different name."

"How is one born one of them?" Asami asked.

"The short of it is, if chimeras, spirit mediums and gods breed, they can give birth humans that possess the power of animals, elementals and divines without actually containing one. They are the Grimalkin, Benders and Kami. At the end of my era, almost half the population were Spirit Mediums. Human Chimera's rarely bred, but the animal ones did, which is why almost all animals that exist today are chimeras. As for the Gods, since they were immortal, and their children would be immortal, they mostly refused to procreate, as that would lead to overpopulation, since none of them could die, and heartbreak as mortal family members died. Tahno and Korra are unique because they were born as benders, and became Spirit Mediums; meaning their power over their element has increased dramatically." Silver explained.

"So me becoming a Spirit Medium is because of this guy?" Tahno asked, playing with the little water spirit. Over time, it had gone from being a simple egg shape, to having wings and then being a little blue chick. He had always thought that the spirit would grow into a fish…

"Yep. You grew stronger because of the spirit's Spiritual energy, or Essence, and he grew stronger because of your Physical Energy, or Experience. The difference between you and Korra is that you can't summon other spirits or act as a door way into the Spirit World. But on the other hand, Korra won't be able to form strong bonds with the spirits she summons, while you can with your little friend."

Korra still looked shocked from the Kami explanation. "So you are a child of a god?"

"Not quite. A Divine Spirit's energy was stolen a placed within me while I was in my mother's womb. And oddly enough, passing on the traits of a chimera, spirit medium and god works the same way as passing traits like eye colour. There isn't a guarantee; hence why bending parents can have non-bender kids, and vice-versa. If there was ever a bender, grimalkin or anything in your bloodline, you could be born as one too."

Everyone looked amazed as they realised just how different things used to be, over ten thousand years ago. Jinora, being a smart child, looked to Kye with interest. "Does that make you a Kami, or a God, Miss Kye?"

"A God. I was an orphan with no relatives but my little sister. A cult sacrificed us to a pair of twin Divine Spirits. In return for letting them explore the human world in safety, they restored our lives and made us their gods. I was already a firebender before that. I'm actually searching for my little sister… she was looking for a scroll that held some kind of secret when she disappeared." Kye explained.

"This woman, your sister… do you have a picture?" Tarrlok asked.

Kye nodded and pulled out a photograph, the same one that Silver had used to show the group who Kye was several weeks ago. "She's the one that looks like me, but shorter."

Tarrlok's eyes widened. "You aren't going to like this, but Necros told me about someone trying to steal from him… and I saw this woman being held prisoner on the same day."

Kye grinned widely and grabbed Tarrlok. "Excellent! Where is she!?"

"Well we were in my cabin at the time…she was taken away. The only other bases that the Black Lotus have, as far as I know, are their base in the Aumbre Forest and the South Pole compound where they held Korra." Tarrlok told her.

"Excellent. Yami can't be killed, even by a Kami, so I can find her. Thanks Tarrlok, I owe you." Kye said, shaking his hand and running out of the room without a word. There was a stunned silence before she suddenly ran back in.

"Sorry, I forgot. It was nice to see you all again. Tenzin, Pema, thank you for having me." She bowed and then ran away again.

Silver laughed. "She isn't normally like that, but when it comes to Yami, she tends to be erratic. Regardless; I've told you as much as I can about Necros, for now at least. Tarrlok, I was hoping you'd have something to say; about why you were with Necros to begin with."

Tarrlok, who had gone silent after Kye ran off, looked coldly at Silver. "I've told you already, and Korra's probably figured it out. I'd rather not repeat it." he growled.

Mako sneered at him. "After what you put us through, I think you better talk."

Tarrlok glared at the boy. He opened his mouth to speak, but it wasn't his voice that came out. "Oh look, a firebender with a propensity for being rash and aggressive. What are the odds?" a deep, sarcastic voice came crawling out of Tarrlok's throat; every word said slowly and deliberately.

Silver immediately knocked Tarrlok across the room with a burst of wind, before putting herself between him and the group. "Who are you?"

"Tarrlok, or did you forget?" it was the same odd voice. It spoke like a nobleman and was laced with the arrogance of a man born in high station.

"I'm not talking to the body you're inhabiting. I'm talking to the spirit inside it. the one who set the trap for us in Ba Sing Se and has been manipulating Tarrlok and corrupting him." Silver said.

Tarrlok's left eye suddenly began to glow a dark red and the man stood up. A purple aura surrounded him and two additional arms, made from spirit energy emerged from Tarrlok's shoulders. "You figured out I was here from the beginning. Yet you still brought me here?"

"I knew a Black Spirit was in Republic City, but after you tried to trap myself and Lin in Ba Sing Se, I realised it had to be either Tarrlok, or another councilman. Since the spirits in the trap were possessed by greed; that left you as the most likely subject."

The possessed councilman began to laugh. "I was careless to corrupt those spirits myself. I should have had Koh do it. He always did enjoy playing with people and spirits. Now, since Silver and I have met before, I'll introduce myself for the rest of your sakes."

A powerful wave of dark spiritual energy ripped through the room, with Tarrlok at the centre. Silver was able to counter it, but barely, and the efforts left her weakened.

"I am Tan, the Black Spirit of Greed. It is my goal to use this body to attain as much wealth and power as this world can provide! And Silver, you aren't looking so healthy… you put your faith in Korra when you took her bending, but her weakened state is slowly killing her, and yourself. Even if you were to beat me, you'd never been Necros or Hao!"

Silver's eyes widened and she stood up, charging at Tan despite her exhaustion. "What did you say!? Hao is free as well!?"

"Bye bye… until we meet again." Tan smiled and vanished, taking Tarrlok with him.

Korra tried to waterbend at him, but she hesitated when she realised she would be attacking Tarrlok, and her attack was instead directed into a healing technique, which she used to heal the minor wounds on Silver.

"Who is Hao? Is he a Black Spirit too?" Korra asked.

"Yes. He is their leader; the Black Spirit of Pride. The Avatar Cycle has been reaching its end, even before you were born, and as its reaching the final incarnation, my power is at it's weakest. I can't defeat the Black Spirits alone anymore, and I could never defeat Hao… Korra, we need to work together."

Korra nodded. "Right. We'll beat Amon, Tan, Necros, Hao and all the Black Spirits!"

* * *

**AVATAR EXTRA**

**An explanation**

Because of what Silver said about spirits having such a major significance to the major plot, I'm going to do a more in-depth explanation, to make sure people understand it. This is also to help people who read my old story, as the rules have changed.

There are three kinds of living things in the Mortal World, and four types of Spirits in the Spirit World.

Mortal beings are: 1). Humans 2.) Fauna (non-human animals) 3.) Flora (plants)  
Spirit beings are: 1). Human (spirits of the deceased) 2). Elemental 3). Animal (sentient spirits with animal forms, not dead animal souls) 4.) Divine Spirits.

Mortals cannot bend or perform mystical arts, but they do have Physical Energy (also called Experience) which Spirits require to grow stronger without preying on other spirits. When humans die, they become Human Spirits, but when Animals and Plants die they are reincarnated.

Spirits are capable of bending the elements (if they are Elemental) or performing incredible mystical feats (if they are Divine). Human and Animal Spirits do not possess any special abilities other than Possession, unless human or animal was a special kind of being. Spirits contain Spiritual Energy (sometimes called Essence) which can sustain a human or animal, meaning they do not require food, water or even oxygen. It also provides longevity.

Plant based spirits are considered elemental, divine or animal spirits. If a spirit forcibly possesses a mortal, and the mortal rejects them, then the mortal will die, unless they are more powerful (more physical energy than the spirit's spiritual energy) in which case, the spirit will be ejected and drained of a large amount of its essence.

Special beings are humans or spirits that have become more like the other (human becoming like a Spirit or Spirit becoming like a human). This comes in two forms; Primary Incarnation and Secondary Incarnation.

Primary Incarnation is the same for both mortals and spirits; they are a mortal being possessed by a spirit in a symbiotic relationship, each feeding off of the other, exchanging Experience for Essence. Humans and Human Spirits fusing is no different from being possessed by a ghost, and no adverse effects occur. When mortals are combined with Animal Spirits (or animals or plants are combined with animal or human spirits), they become a chimera. Any mortal that combines with an Elemental Spirit becomes a Spirit Medium (also called shamans) and any mortal that combines with a Divine Spirit becomes a God.

It works like the following:

Human + Human Spirit = Normal Human  
Human + Animal Spirit = Chimera  
Animal + Human/Animal Spirit = Chimera  
Plant + Human/Animal Spirit = Chimera  
Human/Plant/Animal + Divine Spirit = God  
Human/Plant/Animal + Elemental Spirit = Spirit Medium.

Chimeras are simply humans, animals and plants which have gained the attributes of the animal spirit that possessed it. For example, a Dog being possessed willingly by a polar bear spirit would result in it becoming a polar bear dog. Due to human mating being based highly on attraction, very few human chimeras are able to breed and create a second incarnation, but animals use their chimera traits to assist them in surviving the wild, allowing them more opportunities to mate. Unlike with Gods and Spirit Mediums, if the spirit leaves the mortal, none of the changes to the mortal's body will revert. The chimera transformation is permanent.

Spirit Mediums are mortal beings that have the ability to manipulate the elements by using the power of spirits. Spirit Mediums not only contain a symbiotic spirit, but also have the ability to summon and control lesser elemental spirits of the same type. They also have the ability to use the very rare Anima Aes.

Gods are mostly self-explanatory. They are beings with the power of the Divine Spirits within them. Since Divine Spirits are unique, unlike their spirit brethren, no two gods share the same kind of power. Though all gods do share a specific pool of abilities, including immortality, which is passed onto their hosts for as long as the two remain bonded. Eternal youth is also possible, if the spirit and human are on very good terms.

Secondary Incarnations are the offspring of Primary Incarnations, and work very differently from their parents. Since Spirits cannot die or reproduce, only be reborn, a Spirit that was part of a Primary Incarnation and is then reborn is considered a Secondary Incarnation.

It works like this:

Chimeras - Grimalkin (Beastkin, Were-beasts etc.)  
Spirit Mediums - Benders  
Gods - Kami

Unlike Spirit Mediums and Gods, a Chimera will always give birth to Grimalkin, while not all medium or god children will be benders/kami. Like Chimeras, Spirit Mediums and Gods, a single person can be a Grimalkin, Bender and Kami at the same time.

Grimalkin, unlike Kami and Benders, are literally identical to their Chimera parents in every way. The name is only meant as a distinction between those with Spirits and those without. The Animal Spirit does not change, regardless of being a Primary or Secondary Incarnation.

Benders are mostly self-explanatory. Unlike Mediums, they don't have spirits in their body, but still generate a small amount of Essence/Spiritual energy. This provides them with increased longevity (providing they don't exert themselves too much) and the ability to bend the element that their parent/ancestor originally bonded with. Aside from bending, they cannot summon spirits, use spiritual techniques or use an Anima Aes. Elemental Spirits which leave a Spirit Medium and become Second Incarnation are called Nature Spirits, and are significantly larger and more powerful.

Kami are almost identical to Gods in every way. They are immortal and can never die (while Gods can if they separate from their Divine Spirits), making their existence a double-edged sword. Kami have access to watered down versions of all of their connected God's powers and abilities. Kami can perform a Soul-Link by binding their soul to that of another person, making them immortal too. This can only be done once and only between a Kami and person with a strong bond. If no bond exists between them, the person will become heavily infatuated with the Kami. If the bond is broken (by consent from both Kami and the Bonded) then both beings will die. Also, an unusual link exists between a kami and the Divine Spirit that can cause one's life and power to be connected to the other.

And that's about everything!

If you are still confused about something, ask me in a review or PM! I'll be happy to answer.


	24. Chapter 24: A War on Three Fronts

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Asami  
4. Korra X Tahno  
3. Korra X Bolin  
2. Korra X Mako  
1. Mako X Asami**

**This chapter is mostly filler for the finale, but it does have some important stuff :D**

**Please Enjoy and please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 24: A War on Three Fronts

A week had passed since Tarrlok disappeared from Air Temple Island, and things had gone very badly since then.

Dark Spirits, like the ones from Ba Sing Se, began appearing in the city, causing chaos, and with the police force stretched thin to deal with them, Amon took his opportunity and attacked.

It had begun on the third day after Tarrlok vanished; the Equalists took disguises and kidnapped the entire council, with only Tenzin managing to escape thanks to Mako, who had decided to guard him while he was off the island. Lin's Militia was contracted by Saikhan to assist in fighting back, and with Silver's help, they attacked over one hundred small safe houses across the city in a matter of days; taking out over twenty a day.

In the process, they rescued several equalised benders, including missing triad thugs, metalbender cops and even Black Lotus Sentries from the battle on the mountain. Silver restored the bending of the police and pointed Lin and Saikhan in the right direction, but never directly acted; never leaving the island and forbidding Korra or Tahno from doing so as well.

"Training is the most important. As you both are now; you are as skilled at Waterbending as you were originally, but you'll need to be even better at the spiritual side if you are going to win here." Silver had told them before setting them on difficult training regimes.

Silver kept her deal with Amon, refusing to fight directly in the war, but instead using her intelligence and knowledge of Amon and his men to counter them. Even with that knowledge, the city was soon torn into three areas. The Dark Spirits completely controlled the Residential districts, the Equalists held the Industrial Districts and Coast was held by Team Avatar and its forces.

With the help of Kye, Silver used her bending and high-speed transportation abilities to set up a special "mock" city of stone, just outside of Republic City. It was protected from Spirits and was used to hold all the city's refuges.

It was pure chaos…

Korra sat on the cliff of Air Temple Island, overlooking Republic City and sighed. "This shouldn't have happened… it's all my fault."

"Why is that?" Silver asked, sitting beside her.

"Oh, Silver; it's you. I thought you were still helping refugees. The island is full of cops and politicians now, so I figured you'd be gone for a while." Korra said, not looking at her teacher.

"I wasn't going to, but Katara told me that my favourite pupil was looking down in the dumps, so I came to see you. Now are you going to answer my question, or do I have to tickle it out of you?" Silver joked.

Korra chuckled lightly, but her face quickly fell back to the old, sad face that she had worn so much lately. "This city is dying, and it's my fault. I couldn't save it from Amon or the Black Spirit… I couldn't fight back against Tarrlok or Necros and I'm weaker now that I ever was. I'm a failure, especially compared to you and Aang."

Korra suddenly felt a heavy hand grasp her shoulder and pull her, forcing the younger woman to look into the deep blue eyes of her teacher. "Don't you dare say that. I never want to hear that crap. You are not me, you are not Aang. You are Korra and no one wants you to be anyone but Korra!"

"But Korra is the one making mistakes! Korra is the one who allowed Tan to take Tarrlok over and Korra is the one that Necros plans to use to hurt you. I'd rather be dead than used as a weapon to hurt my friend." Korra said, looking teary eyed.

"Let me tell you something. You have failed at things. I won't sugar coat it, but you have made mistakes that don't even compare to mine, or your predecessors. Aang ran away from his destiny and left the world to fend for itself for a hundred years! Roku failed to stop Sozin and prevent the Hundred Year War. Kyoshi's decisions almost caused the Earth Kingdom to erupt with Civil War. Kuruk allowed Koh the Face Stealer, and the Black Spirit of Envy to steal the face of his loved one and over a dozen others! And I…" Silver hesitated.

"My mistakes nearly killed myself, you, the entirety of the Avatar Cycle and it was my mistakes that allowed the Black Spirits to run rampant, and created both Amon and Necros. Korra, you are looking at the biggest screw up in history, and there is no way I'm going to let you think you are on the same terrible level as me. Korra is a great person, and Avatar Korra will be a great hero… and the one to fix my stupid mistakes."

Korra felt the tears begin to overflow. "Why me though? Why do you care so much about me?"

"Oh, my dear." Silver hugged her tightly. "Because a very long time ago, I was just like you. I had a power that I couldn't understand and became so obsessed with it, I nearly forgot who I really was. Silver was almost completely consumed by the Avatar. I saw the same in you, and now I want to make you my successor."

Korra looked doubtful. "Aren't I already your successor? I am the Avatar after all."

"Yes, but you are…different. I know it is confusing, but all we be explained with time. For now, just hang tight. You have myself and your friends behind you." Silver said, kissing her on the forehead before getting up and turning away. "I've still got a bit of work to do. wipe your eyes and go join Katara and Tahno, they're waiting for you."

Korra nodded and Silver walked away, feeling proud of her apprentice. As she left, she was suddenly grabbed and dragged away by Korra's mother, Senna. "Is something wrong?"

Senna pushed Silver against the wall of the temple, out of sight of everyone else. "I heard everything." Senna said. Her expression was hard, but Silver noticed the difference in her eyes. They held no hatred for Silver, making her chuckle.

"You know Senna, when they aren't full of hatred, your eyes are as beautiful as your daughter's."

"I want to apologise, at least partly, for the way I treated you." Senna admitted, letting Silver go. "I still hate what you did and feel that you should have given Korra a choice, or at least some warning before just taking her bending, but I kind of understand why you didn't."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "So you understand why I didn't consult her?"

"If you had, she would never have listened, and would never have changed. What you did hurt her deeply, but I feel that it has helped her grow up a bit. She was stuck in this silly notion that she was the Avatar and nothing else mattered. It's like she was convinced that she was only good for that and so she tried to find meaning and happiness in that role. For helping her realise her own worth, independent of the Avatar, I thank you."

Silver smiled. "You care deeply for your daughter. My mother was just like you… I really loved her and she loved me, but destiny did not have a very kind plan for either of us. If I can help you and Korra escape the same fate, you can bet I will." The First Avatar began to walk away, "And just so you know Senna, My life is bound to Korra's. Even as an immortal, if she dies now, I will as well. That is the sacrifice I am making for the sake of your daughter."

"My daughter specifically, or the Avatar Spirit?" Senna asked, folding her arms.

"Korra only. The Avatar Spirit doesn't mean a whole lot to me, if I'm honest. It has produced many great heroes, but I'm not going to give my life for it." Silver said, before walking away. As Senna was about to go and talk with her daughter, a bell began to ring on the island. It was a special ring that Lin had devised as a signal for Team Avatar to meet, and meant that the final battle was going to begin. Three loud rings in quick succession, followed by two in succession and then finally three more, all with a second between them.

Korra heard it, as did her friends and all of Team Avatar. Rushing to the meditation hall, they found Saikhan, Lin and Tenzin already there. Katara and Zuko joined them shortly after, as did Korra's parents, the five teenagers, Silver and the Airbender children.

Mako looked around the large table they sat at and noticed the empty seat. "No Pema? She usually likes to be here."

Tenzin looked flushed. "Well, she uh…went into labour. Our child is going to be born tonight."

A round of applause followed by a hug from Katara made Tenzin blush even more. "Thank you all, I appreciate it but we need to focus on this. According to Lin, the Wire System has been cut off by Amon, so we can no longer communicate with anyone outside of the city. We think that Amon will attack the island soon."

"We don't have enough forces to defend it indefinitely, so we need to make a plan. We need to contact General Iroh and Commander Bumi. They are stationed about a half day's journey from here. If we send someone to get them, and they escape the Equalist Airships, then we'd have them arrive at this time tomorrow." Lin said, pointing at a point on her map, which was several miles west of the city.

"I'll go." Silver volunteered. "I can travel through the Spirit World and let them know. If I go within the hour, I'll have them both here by tomorrow afternoon."

"You can't assist in the war since you made that deal with Amon to save Korra, so you might as well." Tenzin stated.

"So what do we do? I want to fight tomorrow and show off some of by awesome new metalbending!" Bolin smiled, punching his palm.

Lin nodded. "We have three targets; The Arena, which Amon is using as his base, The Air Fields, to stop his planes and abandoned playground in the Residential district. That last one is where the Dark Spirits are thickest, so we think Tarrlok is there."

"I also think we should evacuate the airbenders, just in case." Zuko added, Meelo sitting in his lap.

Korra looked at Tahno, who seemed to know what she was thinking and nodded in agreement. "Tahno and I can't have our bending stolen by Amon, right? So I think we should attack him. If we beat him, then the war is over and Silver can help me beat Tarrlok."

"That does make the most sense." Silver agreed.

"Well I want to be the one to get the Airbenders out of here, so I'll take them, as well as Lady Katara and Lord Zuko." Lin said, her expression leaving no room for argument.

"I want to fight my dad, and try to bring him to his senses. Mako, Bolin; will you both come with me to the Air Field?" Asami asked.

"You bet." Bolin smiled.

Mako gently squeezed his girlfriend. "You can count on us."

"Tonraq and I will help Saikhan defend the island for as long as possible. Korra, you do your best and kick Amon's backside!" Senna grinned, grabbing Tonraq's arm.

Korra laughed and grinned at her mother. "You bet. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Everyone cheered and stood up, ready to head off to their beds, ready to rest for the final battle of this Equalist War. Just as they approached the door, a loud baby's cry echoed throughout the halls.

"I think my baby brother is ready!" Meelo shouted, running off toward the source of the sound. Jinora and Ikki giggled and ran excitedly behind him. Tenzin smiled brightly, and for a moment, he forgot all about the war, as did everyone else.

Leaving Tenzin to it, they all retired for the night, more determined than ever to make the world safer for the life that has just begun.


	25. Chapter 25: My Mother's Daughter

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

**5. Mako X Asami  
4. Korra X Silver  
3. Korra X Asami  
2. Korra X Bolin  
1. Korra X Mako**

**I hope you like this chapter!**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 25: My Mother's Daughter

For the first time in what felt like years, there was a quiet serenity in the Air Temple. All of Team Avatar awoke from a good night sleep and were refreshed and ready to begin fighting for the city their predecessors had built. One by one, they all made their way to breakfast, and then to the master bedroom of the temple, ready to meet their newest arrival.

Pema remained in bed, surrounded by her children with her newest in her arms. A little baby boy cooed and squirmed gently in his mother's arms, warming the hearts of his siblings and watching father.

Korra was the last to come see them, smiling warmly at Pema and her family as she entered. "Good Morning guys. Everyone else is getting ready, and we're going to make a move soon. I wanted to say hello before we left."

"That was sweet of you Korra. Would you like to see him?" Pema asked, patting the bed beside her.

Korra smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Gently sitting beside Pema, she peered into the little bundle of blankets and was greeted by a pair of little greyish green eyes. "He's so cute and tiny. What's his name." the Avatar asked.

"He's called Rohan. Daddy chose to name him after an old friend of his." Jinora told her, moving over to sit beside Korra.

"Rohan? It's a good name. Grow up good and strong little guy." Korra said, lightly tickling the baby with the tip of her finger.

"You can hold him if you like." Tenzin offered, with Pema smiling at the suggestion.

"I'd like to, but I need to go. Silver should already be with General Iroh, so we need to try and stop Amon before they get here. It'll make it easier to defeat the rest of the Equalists. Also, Lin told me that you guys are going to be leaving in a couple of hours, once the enemy is focused on us. I just wanted to say keep safe."

Tenzin smiled at her as the young Avatar got up to leave. Before she walked out of the door, the old airbender placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am proud of you Korra. Do your best, and you'll be able to win with no trouble at all."

Korra bowed her head. "I will, and Thank you."

The young water tribe girl ran from the room, meeting with Tahno on the way. They were going to use their waterbending to travel under the water of the bay, so as to avoid being seen. It meant that by the time they got to the arena and snuck in, the Airbenders would be long gone. Tahno and Korra changed into some Equalist Disguises and left the island from the eastern shore. Mako, Asami and Bolin left shortly after, using a Future Industries Speed boat.

As the boat sped away, Asami looked back at Bolin and Mako. "Do you think everyone will be okay? I'm worried about Korra, and the baby."

Mako laughed. "If anyone needs help, it's Amon. Korra's waterbending is crazy strong compared to before, and he can't take her bending. Plus Tahno is there, so long as he doesn't get in the way. Personally, I'm looking forward to trying out the firebending techniques that Lord Zuko taught me!"

Bolin nodded. "Oh yeah, all of us have some crazy powerful new bending, plus Asami's chi blocking Kung Fu awesomeness! We can't lose!"

"Thanks, you guys are always good for cheering a girl up." Asami smiled.

"Tis what we do." Bolin joked.

Back on the island, things were going well. The Police Forces' Air ships were being loaded up and flying off to the city, ready to begin assaults on various Equalist installations. Cannons had been placed on the roof tops by Amon's men, and several squads of biplanes and air ships met the police force as they flew into the city.

The quiet serenity of the morning disappeared behind a hail of fire and steel.

Lin looked at the city as she waited for the Airbenders and Elders to be ready to leave; and a part of her felt melancholic. "The City my mother built and policed is being torn apart before my eyes, and I can't do anything to stop it."

Katara stepped behind her, shaking her head with a warm smile. "Toph would be proud. This city has weathered many threats, and withstood them thanks to you and your leadership. It wasn't politicians that save this city from the various triads, but you."

"Lady Katara, you built this place too, don't you feel sad to see it like this?"

"You know, you'd think that, but I can't say I do. When I was younger, after Aang died, I was afraid that I could never face Korra. I thought I would hate her or treat her badly because she took my husband from me. But when I saw her, I felt love. I realised fully that Korra did not take Aang from me, but rather, Aang gave Korra to me. It felt like he was watching me through her. And now, as I watch this city fight to protect itself, it reminds me of Korra. Fighting to claim this new age. My Republic City fell long ago, as did Toph's. This Republic City belongs to you, and Korra and the new generation of children. If anything, I'm glad to see you youngsters so lively!" the old woman smiled.

Lin looked back at the city and pumped her fist. "Right then! I'll get the old generation and the Airbenders to safety, then I'll fight for my City! Amon is going down!"

Katara chuckled. "You are your mother's daughter alright. Come, I think the preparations are done."

Lin nodded and walked with Katara to the Sky Bison pens, were several of the large furry beasts were chomping on hay, waiting to leave. Tenzin's family still hadn't appeared, but an odd feeling was beginning to overcome Lin. Bending the metal soles of her boots, she touched her bare feet against the ground. With her Seismic Sense, she felt every inch of the island, and found her suspicions to be correct.

"EQUALISTS ARE ON THE WESTERN SHORE! MEN, PREPARE TO FIGHT!" she bellowed so loudly, that the entire island must have heard. Those few police officers and militia members that remained on the island quickly moved to surround the temple's main building, and the bison pens.

Protecting the island wasn't necessary, they needed to protect the airbenders!

Leaving Katara at the pens, Lin ran full pelt through the halls of the temple's main building, stopping just outside Tenzin's door so as to avoid smashing into Pema or the kids if they were just coming out. A ruckus could be heard inside the room and Lin pulled the door away with her cables. Inside, a pair of equalists were trying to hold Tenzin's children, while the man himself was being surrounded by five others. Amon's own lieutenant was threatening Pema with his electrified sticks, demanding she hand over her baby.

"One last chance woman, hand over the child or I will knock you out and take him by force!"

"Not on my watch!" Lin yelled, grabbing the man by the waist and spinning him around the room with her cables. The Lieutenant screamed and looked nauseous, right before Lin let him go, resulting in him smashing through the wall and into another part of the temple.

Two of the men surrounding Tenzin refocused on her, wielding bolas and electro gloves. Lin knew there was a slight delay between being hit by the glove and being electrocuted, so she planned her assault carefully. Ducking under the thrown bola, Lin aimed a punch at the thrower's jaw, knocking him out with a satisfying crack. The second equalist then firmly grasped Lin's arm with his gloved hand, but the former police chief was clever, and metal bent her gauntlets around the glove before pulling her now bare arm away.

The startled equalist tried to shake the twisted piece of metal off of his hand, but before he could, he was blindsided by Tenzin, who smashed him against the floor with a heavy current of air. Lin was a little surprised at the ferocity. It wasn't a physically damaging technique, but it was able to knock all the remaining Equalists out cold.

"Harsh." Lin joked as she went over to the panting airbender.

"No one threatens my wife, children and my best friend." Tenzin smiled, still a little winded.

"Daddy, I think we need to run away now. The weird moustache guy is looking really mad." Ikki said, hiding behind her sister. Lin and Tenzin turned on their heels, only to be struck and electrocuted by the Lieutenant. As both elite benders fell to the ground, stunned, the masked equalist stepped into the room with a very angry expression.

"Alright brats, come quietly, or everyone gets hurt, do you understand?" he threatened. The children cowered away from the furious man, and Pema moved to protect them, which resulted in the Lieutenant stabbing forward with his sticks.

There was a bright flash as the electricity arced around the room, before finally flowing out the window. The Lieutenant was shocked to find one of his sticks was destroyed; turned to ash, while the other was in the hands of an elderly man, smoking a pipe. The man had a long beard and a muscular body, with only his few wrinkles and grey hair giving his real age away.

"Attacking women and children that can't defend themselves? How shameful." Zuko said, pulling the pipe from his lips and emptying it onto the terrified man's shoulder.

"In my day, the people who did that were the most horrid of villains. Still…" Zuko put his pipe into the pocket of his ember coloured robes and placed two fingers gently against the Lieutenant's side. "I'm not one to kill inferior opponents. But this will hurt."

The Lieutenant screamed as a sudden bolt of lightning ripped through the flesh of his side, missing all of his organs and major blood vessels, but causing some serious pain. The man's scream was muffled by Zuko's hand, which quickly disarmed the remaining stick and slammed hard into his opponent's throat, temporarily blocking his airways. The Lieutenant slumped to the floor, unconscious. He wasn't bleeding much, as the lightning had cauterised the wound.

The children whimpered fearfully, but they were spared the full view of the incident by Zuko, who had purposefully placed himself in their way. "Lin, Tenzin, are you alright?" he asked, as he used the special smoke from his pipe to revive them from their stunned state.

"Ugh…yeah, I'm alright. Would be worse without you." Lin said, standing up first and helping Tenzin.

"I want to thank you both for defending my family, but we really need to go. Before more of them come." Tenzin said, urgently shepherding his family down the hall and to the bison pen. Katara and a handful of men were outside, protecting the bison and acolytes. If the pile of Equalists were anything to go by, they had done well.

Lin was about to praise their work when she noticed who the men were. They weren't police officers or her militia, but White Lotus Sentries; the ones that Silver and Korra were due to question.

"What are you doing out of your cells?" Lin asked, trying to stay calm so as not to scare the children.

"We aren't aligned with Necros or his people anymore. We joined the White Lotus to serve the Avatar, so that is our role. Necros can jump off a cliff." One man yelled.

The other men nodded and cheered with their comrade's words, and Lin could tell they were earnest. "Fine, you can help. Keep the Equalists off the island for as long as you can while we get the airbenders and elders out of the city."

The White Lotus yelled in agreement and ran off, ready to defend the home of their Avatar. By the time Lin has checked with them, the Airbenders, as well as Katara and Zuko, were already on Oogi and were waiting for Lin. The former chief lept onto the bison's back and signalled to Tenzin.

"Alright Oogi, it's a little heavy, but do your best. Yip Yip!"

The son of Appa gave a mighty roar and kicked himself off of the ground, flying as fast as he could into the sky and out of the city limits. Lin and Tenzin sighed with relief as the happy family behind them chatted and grew comfortable in the embrace of the sky.

There joy was short lived.

"No…they can't be following us this far!?" Lin yelled, looking back to see a pair of large Air Ships flying towards them, each flying Amon's blood red banner.

"What do we do!?" Pema asked, becoming distressed.

"You escape with Tenzin. I'll stop them!" Lin answered, preparing to fire her cables like grappling hooks.

"But Lin-!"

"No buts Tenzin! You have a family; a wife and children. Plus, Korra still needs you to teach her airbending! The World cannot lose you, or your people. Now run, or I'll kick your backside just like when we were kids!" Lin yelled.

Tenzin felt a few tears come to his eyes, but turned back to the sky ahead of him. "Just come back. I won't forgive you if you get yourself killed trying to be a hero!"

Lin smiled and fired her cables, flying from the bison at break neck speeds, right into the closest of the airships.

"Her mother's daughter indeed." Katara said, smiling melancholically as she watched the child of her closest friend go flying off to battle.

Lin landed with a soft thud on the fabric of the closest Air Ship, but she had obviously been expected, as many Equalists from the other airship jumped down to her, and those from the one she was on came up to join the fight. Lin didn't bother fighting them, but instead shed all of her armour and fired them in all directions, knocking Equalists away from her so she could bend the metal frame inside the air ship, tearing through the fabric in one huge tear and releasing all the precious gas. Tired from her battles and with no armour to defend herself against the onslaught of Equalist Attacks, Lin made her final decision.

She needed to take out the other ship, no matter what.

With a loud war cry, she leapt from the air ship, ready to plummet to the sea below. Accepting her fate, Lin was able to grip the metal within the second ship with her bending, and ripped it apart in one last move.

Smiling as both ships fell into the sea with her, Lin closed her eyes and hit the icy water.

Tenzin felt the tears over flow as he heard his family react. But he couldn't turn around. He wouldn't watch his friend die.

"That woman is my hero." Meelo said, in a moment of seriousness.

Tenzin smiled through the tears. "Mine too Meelo. Mine too."

"Oh no." Those words alerted all four adults to look at Jinora, who's eyes were fastened on a distant object.

An Air ship with blood red banners. The last thing they experience, is being hit by a large metal net, and the burning sting of electricity.


	26. Chapter 26: Reconciliation PT1

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

**5. Mako X Asami  
4. Korra X Silver  
3. Korra X Mako  
2. Korra X Tahno  
1. Korra X Bolin**

**Please enjoy the chapter!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 26: Reconciliation with the Father PT1

As Bolin walked a few paces behind Mako and Asami, having a sinking feeling in his gut. They had been walking for a fair while, since the Equalist Air Base was situated in a small plateau, a short ways up the snowy mountain. It was a perfect location, as Asami had explained, as it gave them huge natural walls and only a small entrance by foot, but easy for Planes to get in and out. The mountain wind in the latter weeks of winter also made it impossible for Air Ships to get close, so only their planes could come and go.

After a while, Mako noticed his brother's silence, and turned to him. "Are you getting nervous?"

"No, I'm just worried about Chief Beifong. I have this bad feeling…"

Asami smiled. "You got quite close to her in the last few weeks. I heard she was a tough teacher."

"Oh yeah, she was really tough, but if I did a good job, she'd tell me all these crazy stories about when she was a kid with Tenzin and his siblings. They got into all kinds of trouble! She almost kicked my butt when I said she sounded like Korra as a kid." Bolin laughed.

"Yeah, Pema told me that Lin has always been a little odd. She's so keen to stick to the rules even though she apparently broke almost all of them as a kid. I also heard that she used to be the kind of cop that was willing to break laws to stop bigger criminals. Come to think of it, that does sound like Korra." Asami said, looking at the blue sky. Despite the war going on so close to them, it was hard to think about it when walking through the crisp white snow with such a beautiful blue sky overhead.

"Come to think of it, is anyone else worried about Korra? I mean, she's fighting Amon with only Tahno as back up." Mako said the Wolf Bat's name with distaste.

"He's as strong a bender as Korra, if not better. Between them both, if they can't be chi-blocked or have their bending stolen, I think they'll be fine. Now we'll need to be quiet, I can see the base ahead." Asami told them, putting a finger to her lips in a hush gesture.

Sure enough, less than a kilometre ahead of them was the large stone walls that acted like a natural fortress for the air base. Biplanes were coming and going with some regularity, but thanks to the white cloaks that the teens wore, they were not spotted. The passage between the rock walls was large enough for two people to walk side by side, and because of its small size, no guards were posted anywhere near it. No large enough force could possible get through… except maybe for three teenagers with attitudes.

After they walked silent through the passage, keeping crouched, they were met with a surprise.

A wide open snow field.

The Air Base was little more than a large warehouse at the very back of the plateau, against the mountain face, with several runways. Asami squinted and thought she could vaguely make out some fence posts, though she had insulated wire clippers, stolen from her father's secret workshop, so no fence would be a problem. The actual problem would be following the walls of the mountain around, since they'd never be able to approach directly without being seen.

With a long walk ahead of them, Bolin sighed and began to chat more, his bad feeling from earlier subsiding.

"So… I was thinking of asking Korra out." He admitted.

Mako's blank expression faltered for a moment, which Asami noticed. "I think it would be complicated. After all, Tahno is always around her now. If you want to fight him for her, I bet you'd do well enough."

"Ah come on Mako!" Asami jokingly scolded. "I bet Bolin and Korra would do well together. Bolin's funny and cute, and Korra is pretty cute too!"

"Do girls really call each other cute?" Mako smirked.

"Of course! We aren't all silly and macho like boys. Korra's called me beautiful a few times." Asami said, bragging slightly.

"I'm kinda surprised you two became such good friends. You're both so different." Bolin wondered aloud.

"I am too actually. I don't think we got along well at first, but we have a surprising amount in common. We both love probending and martial arts, and even though she isn't a fashionista, Korra does have a fair bit of femininity when she wants to show it."

"I don't know, I can really imagine Korra being girly. I always thought of her as a tomboy." Mako said, putting his arms behind his head.

"Tomboy or not, she's hot and fun as heck! Maybe I will ask her out on a date when we get home." Bolin smiled. The happy-go-lucky earthbender was too preoccupied with his mental image to notice his brother's less than pleased look, by Asami noticed it.

'Is he being protective of Bolin…or is he jealous? Does he like Korra?' Asami thought. The young woman put the thoughts out of her head as they finally made it to the perimeter of the air base.

Upon arriving at the fence to around the Air Base, Asami fumbled through her jacket pocket for her wire clippers, only to find there was no wire connected to the posts.

"Fence posts with no fence? How does that make any sense." She huffed, angry at bringing the clippers for nothing.

"Well you said this place was believed to be full-proof, they probably started making a fence and then decided it wouldn't be worth it." Mako said with a shrug.

"Mako's right. The base is right there, so we should be fine at this point. Let's just go." Bolin said, pointing at the warehouse that sat just a few feet from them. Asami sighed and put her clippers away.

And then they walked through the fence posts, side by side. That was a big mistake.

A sudden blast of electricity coursed into their bodies, causing each teen to convulse and scream loudly, before crumpling into a pile in the snow. The last thing they saw were the silhouettes of equalists blocking out the sun.

They woke up a short time later, chains around their arms and ankles, in a large section of the ware house, which had been barred off from the rest. Asami alone was able to move at all, while the boys were chained to a large metal hook in the floor. "Are you two okay?" she asked, still a little blurry.

"I'm alright. Bo's is still out of it, but he'll be okay." Mako said.

"Oh, I don't think we can say that for certain, can we Mako?" a familiar voice alerted the teens to a man, watching them with a disgusted look.

"Dad!" Asami yelled, angry and happy to see him at the same time.

Hiroshi Sato's expression lightened a bit as he regarded his daughter. Seeing her dishevelled and chained was not something he wanted, but she still sided with the benders. "Asami, my dear. I hate to see you like this."

"Then let me go! Mako and Bolin too!" Asami yelled.

"No, you misunderstand. Seeing you with them is what I hate! Benders tore our family apart! It was a firebender that took your mother from us, and now you're actually dating the same type of foul creature!" Hiroshi spat.

"Mako is not a foul creature and he isn't the one who killed mom! That man has paid for his crimes with a life in prison, but what you're doing is putting you on the same level as him!" Asami said defiantly.

"How dare you compare me to him!?" Hiroshi roared, losing his temper with his daughter for the first time in years.

"If you continue with this revolution, you'll hurt thousands of people! There are those who need their bending to work! Need it to survive and provide for their families! How many children are starving already because their parents can't work with their bending gone!?"

"If they need bending for their jobs, then they can just get new ones! There are thousands of non-bender professions!" Hiroshi argued.

Asami's eyes narrowed. "And what about the sick and infirm? Waterbender healers are sometimes the only ones who can help! And Earthbending has even helped the blind adapt to life! Destroying bending isn't going to get rid of the world's bad people, it's just going to force them to change their tactics! Evil is evil, even without bending! You're the one who showed me that."

"How can you be so narrow-minded and blind!? Do you think your friends care for you as much as for each other? You're a non-bender; you'll never be as important to them as their bending allies!"

Asami snorted. "Yeah right. Korra, Mako and Bolin, heck even Tahno have all proven I don't need to be a bender to be there friend! Sometimes I wish I could be a bender like them, but not so I fit in with them, I want to be able to protect them from people like you."

Hiroshi's face fell as he heard those words. His Asami… his little girl! She wanted to be like one of those…those THINGS! No, he would never allow it!

"You know Mister Sato, my brother's a firebender…and my father was too. And my dad was killed by one as well. Sure, I could hate firebenders but then I'd be hating hundreds, no, millions of innocents, all because of one person's crime? I can't stand that kind of thinking." Bolin said, his voice more serious than Mako had ever heard.

"Bo…" was all he could muster to say in his surprise.

"Sorry bro, but could you stay out of this, I want to do this my own way." Bolin said, never taking his eyes off of Hiroshi.

"Do what exactly? You're stuck!" Hiroshi bragged. Bolin rattled his chains and stood up, shocking the equalist engineer.

"These are yours." Bolin said, pulling his hands from behind his back and dropping a pile of misshapen chains at his feet.

"G-Guards! Restrain him!" Hiroshi yelled, running for cover. Two nearby equalists came running, spinning bolas. Bolin kicked forward, using the chains that still hung broken from his ankles as weapons to deflect the bolas. With a single movement, he managed to metal bend two of the cell's bars into tight restraints, binding the Equalists.

Smiling at his victory, Bolin bent away the last of the bars before turning to free his brother and friend. Just as he stooped to free Asami, the still bound Mako yelled. "Bo, behind you!"

The earthbender turned at the last moment, just barely managing to grab onto the large metal claw that had tried to crush him. It swung him around the large room before finally retracting, leaving Bolin dangling on the arm of a large Mecha Tank.

Peering through the window, he recognised the driver.

"Get out of there Hiroshi!" he yelled, trying to metal bend the tank's arm. The metal didn't react and Bolin mentally slapped himself as he was flung away from the tank.

"Platinum! It's too pure for me to metal bend!" he growled. Several other equalists were now getting into their own tanks, and soon they were surrounding Bolin.

'Can't do this alone! I've gotta free Mako and Asami!' he thought, raising the earth beneath one tank to try and topple it. But no matter how hard he tried, Bolin could not get any of the tanks to move back, as they smashed apart his attempts at barricades. It looked bleak…

'I can't do this alone, and I can't get to the others! Dang, I don't want to lose!' he thought, gritting his teeth as he tried to withstand an onslaught of metal claws.

A bright flash of light temporarily blinded the Equalists and teens alike, but when their vision returned, Bolin smiled widely.

"Silver!" he yelled.

"Hi Bolin, sorry I can't stay. I'm just dropping off a friend." Silver smiled, before vanishing again. The second newcomer appeared in her spot.

It was a man; black hair in a perfectly sculpted military cut, amber eyes, and the distinctive uniform of a United Forces General. The man produced a ball of fire in his hands and pointed it threateningly at Hiroshi's tank. He spoke in an authorative tone.

"General Iroh. Pleased to make your acquaintance."


	27. Chapter 27: Reconciliation PT2

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

**5. Korra X Asami  
4. Korra X Bolin  
3. Korra X Tahno  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Mako**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 27: Reconciliation with the Father PT2

"General Iroh!" Bolin yelled with joy as he saw the United Nations warrior appear beside him.

"Hello, you must be Bolin, correct? Silver told me about you while we were travelling. Sorry I'm late, but I needed to make sure that my fleet was in the city before I could let Silver bring me here." Iroh said, watching carefully as the surrounding equalists weighed their options.

He was still only one man, and they had tanks! But the grandson of Zuko had been in worse situations than this…

"Attack them!" Hiroshi roared through the intercom of his own tank, swinging the large pincer claws at the pair of benders. Bolin and Iroh dived away from each other as the claw smashed into the ground between them.

"Keep them busy, I need to help the others." Bolin yelled, quickly dodging between the legs of one tank to get to the remains of the cells.

"You got it. Have a taste of this!" Iroh yelled, using flames from his hands like jets to propel himself into the sky. Building as much heat as he could into his right first, he plummeted back down, smashing his fist into the ground as he did so. The flames exploded into the ground and destroyed the floor directly around the impact zone, knocking the tanks back several feet and leaving Iroh standing alone in the middle of a melting stone floor.

"Whoa! What the heck was that!?" Mako yelled as his brother bent his chains away.

"That was the Descending Dragon Technique. It took me three months straight just to master this one move… my grandfather taught me." Iroh said, panting a bit as he took advantage of the Equalists hesitation to rest a moment.

"I need to get him to teach me that one! I only know a few of the dragon stances." Mako admitted. Zuko had been teaching him dragon style firebending, but he found it hard to correctly move from one stance to the next.

"You're Mako, correct? My grandfather mentions he had taken you on as a student in his last letter. I'll be happy to help your training, once we finish these guys off of course."

Asami and Bolin ran over to the pair of firebenders and they all turned their backs on each other so they could be facing all directions. "What's the plan?" Asami asked.

"My fire can burn hot enough to destroy the thinner parts of these things, but I won't be able to disable them completely. Can any of you figure out a way to permanently destroy these things?" Iroh asked.

"They're too pure to metalbend and they break through my earth barricades like nothing. I'm out of ideas." Bolin responded, raising a few earth walls around the tanks, hoping to slow them down a bit.

"I can use lightning, but I don't think these things conduct electricity very well. Their cockpits are insulated, so we can't knock out the pilots with it." Mako said, charging some lightning just in case.

Iroh frowned, but was hit by inspiration. "Miss Sato, you are familiar with Future Industries technology, right?"

Asami nodded. "Yes, but I never saw these tanks or their blueprints until recently."

"That doesn't matter. I want you to try and figure out where the fuel cells in these things are. If you can figure that out, Mako and I may be able to use lightning to pierce them through the fuel cells and blow them up." Iroh explained.

The mecha tanks were beginning to get a little closer as their pilots regained their confidence and smashed through the stone obstacles like they were made of sand. Asami panicked and nodded. "Keep them busy and I'll get to the unoccupied tanks. If you can give me ten minutes, I should be able to figure out where the fuel cells are." She said before turning back to the enemy. They were too close for her to sneak past!

Bolin used his seismic sense to find a water pipe that was running beneath their feet and quickly metalbent it through the floor, sending cold water all over the tanks and themselves. Mako quickly grasped his brother's plan and began to firebend at the water, flooding the room with steam. Iroh saw what they were doing and assisted them, giving Asami the cover she needed to sneak away.

"This is nowhere near enough to stop us! These tanks have sonar!" Hiroshi yelled, using his tank to fire an electrified net at the teens. Iroh grabbed it with his bare hand and redirected the electricity inside it, using it to shoot lightning back at Hiroshi and lightly damage his tank's right arm.

As the tanks began to continue their assault on the three benders, they used their nimbleness to dodge around the heavy contraptions, jumping on them to force them to attack each other. While this was going on, Asami snuck into an unoccupied tank and began to frantically examine the cockpit, hoping for some clues as to where the fuel cells were. As she looked, she began to notice some differences between these tanks and the ones she had seen at the factory on the day she learnt the truth about her father.

The Platinum plating was much thicker, do resist fire and earth attacks, the tracks on the three legs were much harder, made of heat resistant metal and the balancing system had been upgraded to prevent them from falling over. There also seemed to be a layer of rubber between the metal components, reducing the effectiveness of electrical attacks.

"My dad must have used the information from that battle in the factory to upgrade his tanks…the only remaining weaknesses are water in the exhausts and airbending force. Dang, if only we had Tahno or Korra!" she growled to herself.

"Iroh, the fuel cells won't work! All major components are covered by an extra layer of rubber! Lightning won't work!"

Iroh growled under his breath. "Is there anything else we can do here?" he asked, jumping on an extended claw and running up it onto the tank's back.

"Water in the exhausts works, but we don't have any waterbenders! Actually, I have another idea…" Asami began before suddenly going quiet.

"What idea is that!?" Mako asked before the tank he was faced with was suddenly smashed aside.

"This one!"

Mako, Bolin and Iroh couldn't help but laugh as Asami came rolling over in the tank she had been examining. After only ten minutes with it, she was able to pilot it perfectly.

"Just like a future industries fork lift. My dad always did like to recycle designs if he could get away with it." Asami muttered as she knocked another tank away. These things weren't built for battle against each other, so Asami had the element of surprise as she began smashing the metal claws into the legs of the others.

As he watched Asami smash apart her opponents, leading to them ejecting and fleeing, Bolin noticed the water pipe was still pouring water all over the place. Hit with a brainwave, the metalbender jumped on the pipe, bending it and surfing it right onto a tank that was coming up behind Asami, flooding the enemy's tank with water through his exhausts.

The owner of the tank quickly ejected and ran away screaming as the tank he was in began to splutter and shut down. "Good job Bolin! Only Hiroshi is left!" Iroh smiled.

Asami nodded. "Would you guys destroy the remaining planes? I want to fight him alone."

The three boys looked between themselves before nodding. "alright, but be careful!" Mako told her, before running off to attack the planes.

"Oh, no you don't!" Hiroshi roared, charging after Mako. Asami quickly drove in his way, locking her own claws with his. The two tanks struggled against each other and their windows smashed against each other, allowing the two of them to see each other.

"Why Asami? Why are you helping them!?" Hiroshi demanded, smashing his claw into the side of Asami's tank.

"I'm doing it for peace! I don't hate benders, I just want everything to go back to the way it was!" Asami yelled back, firing one of her extendable claws at her father. Hiroshi knocked it aside easily and charged forward.

"How can I show you!? How can I prove that you're wrong! Was your mother's death not enough? Was the death of hundreds of people in crimes committed by Benders not enough!? What will be enough to show you that these people are evil!?" He roared, delivering a heavily damaging strike to Asami's tank; shaking her up badly and tearing her tank's left arm off.

Asami sighed heavily. She didn't have the heart to keep fighting her father. She was worn down emotionally to the point of wanting to surrender, but she needed to keep going for the sake of her friends; the people who had stuck by her in her hardest times. But fighting wasn't getting them anywhere. She needed to do something else.

Pulling on a lever, Asami opened her tank and released herself from the safety harness; slowly climbing down in front of Hiroshi. The Equalist smiled.

"So, you have finally come to your senses?" he asked.

Asami shook her head and looked up defiantly. "No dad, I'll never be like you. The man that I called my father…the man that mom loved…I wonder if he is even still inside you. Your anger at an entire civilisation, for the sins of one man is so wrong that I just can't understand how you have gotten this bad. But I've made up my mind." Asami put her arms out, signifying that she wouldn't let Hiroshi through.

"If you want to continue with this plan; if you want to hurt my friends and all benders." She looked him in the eye. "Then you'll need to kill me. I won't live with the knowledge that my father has become a monster."

Hiroshi's jaw hung open as he heard the declaration. His daughter would rather die than be with him in the perfect world? How could she!? She'd side with the ones who took her mother? HIS WIFE!?

"No…you are no daughter of mine! I'll get rid of you, and then kill the Avatar that corrupted you with my own hands!" Hiroshi screamed, charging forward with one of the tank's claws. Mako yelled for Asami to run, but the woman didn't make any attempt to move. She closed her eyes to accept her fate.

But it never came.

Opening her eyes, Asami saw that the tank had come to a complete stop, with its claws only inches from her. The tank's cockpit opened up and Hiroshi fell out, stumbling on his feet and tears flowing freely.

"No…I won't. I can't hurt you…not you. My only daughter… but I can't forgive benders either! What do I do?" he asked, speaking more to himself than anyone else.

Asami felt her own tears bubbling to the surface and she ran forward to embrace her father. "Don't do anything. Just go back to being the kind man you used to be."

"A-Asami… my dear, I am so sorry." Hiroshi held his daughter tightly, and they both fell to their knees. Asami's head was buried in her father's shoulder as the three benders approached. Hiroshi looked up at Iroh with a defeated look.

"I surrender. I'm done with all this." He said quietly.

"I have to arrest you. It may be pointless to say it, but I hope you don't hate us for this. Like you, we just want to protect our families and make a safer world for them." Iroh said. He had Bolin metalbend some chains around Hiroshi's wrists, though the earthbender was gentle and made sure not to hurt his friend's father.

Hiroshi thought on Iroh's words. 'Benders…people with the power to hold the elements. If this revolution has taught me anything, then it is that these benders are no stronger than non-benders. Maybe peace is still possible…'

The Future Industries founder watched as Mako embraced Asami and Bolin offered his kind words. 'Maybe non-benders and benders really can live in peace. Avatar, Amon; I'll leave that decision up to you both.'

Asami looked on sadly as her father was led away by Iroh.

"It's all up to Korra now. Please win." She said, talking to the sky and hoping that somehow, Korra would hear her hopes.


	28. Chapter 28: Suzaku of the South PT1

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Silver  
4. Korra X Bolin  
3. Korra X Mako  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Tahno**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Please review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 28: Suzaku of the South PT1

Korra looked up at the midday sky, listening keenly for something. She could have sworn she heard a whisper from the skies.

"What's wrong?" Tahno asked. The two waterbenders were resting on a patch of shallow rocks, directly beneath the Pro-bending arena. They had walked for a long time, and even with the assistance of their spirit allies, the process had been long and strenuous.

"Nothing's wrong, I hope. It's weird, but I thought I heard Asami's voice for a second there." Korra told him. She couldn't make out the words of the whisper, but it made her feel energised and even more keen to win. "By the way, is your little spirit friend okay? He was having a lot of trouble on the journey."

Tahno scoffed. "The stupid thing was trying to match the work done my you and all the spirits within you. It wore itself out so much. Look at him." Tahno stretched out his palm and expelled the little blue spirit. In his time with the spirit, Tahno had learned to summon him from any point of his body, with enough concentration, and was even able to use him to resist bloodbending and generate small quantities of water.

The water spirit was sat on Tahno's hand, panting heard and letting out quiet tweets with each exhale. It had grown again and was now the size of a crow and the shape of a swan. It's blue feathers glistened slightly in the sun and it's body no longer had any translucency. If it weren't for Korra and Tahno's foreknowledge about it, they would have assumed he was just an ordinary bird and not a spirit.

"Are you doing okay little guy? You shouldn't need to work as hard as that again." Korra said, gently petting the bird's head.

"I don't want sympathy! I need to prove I'm stronger than any of those water spirits that you can use!" the water spirit yelled.

"But why?" Korra asked.

"Because Master is working hard to be on the same level as you! He says he can't be useful to you as a member of Team Avatar unless he is the best he can be! If that's true for him, then how can I be useful unless I am better than any water spirit you can call up?" the bird answered. His voice was still childish, but it was no longer the high-pitched voice that it has been before; now it was more like a ten-year old boy's.

"Heh, he's a proud spirit, for such a little guy. But thanks to him, I am stronger than I ever have been." Tahno smirked.

Korra chuckled as she thought the same thing about Tahno himself, minus the little guy thing. "Well I think we've rested enough for now. We need to get into the place; I saw them bringing some prisoners in by airship. I didn't see the prisoners, but apparently they're important. The Equalists escorting them said that Amon is going to equalise them in front of a huge crowd."

Tahno nodded. "That might be the perfect opportunity for us to launch a sneak attack. If we can hit him at range, we'll be fine."

The two waterbenders froze a section of the sea near them and used it like a raft to get to the shore. Slipping on their equalist masks, they stepped onto the main land and walked up the bank to the entrance of the Arena. A lot of non-bender citizens were eagerly waiting to be let in by the equalist doormen, and they busily discussed who the main attraction of the show was going to be.

"I heard they caught Tarrlok and the other councilmen!" one woman said.

"Nah, Tarrlok's already dead. He went missing in the mountains! I bet it's the Avatar herself!" a man responded.

"Shame about her, she's a pretty one. I wonder if Amon will let her go free when she's a non-bender."

"No way, she'll rot in prison with the rest of the benders. It's the least they deserve!"

Korra felt disgusted as she walked past the long line of people. She knew that benders had done terrible things, but they had also done a lot of good! It made her sick to her stomach that she was willing to fight for these people…

"Remember Korra; that is the same reasoning that turned these people against benders. Do not blame all for the actions of a few." A familiar voice echoed in her mind.

'A-Aang?' she thought, surprised.

"Your spiritual strength is increasing! You're able to connect with me, but only when your unlocked chakras are opened. If you close them, we can't speak." Aang told her. "I can't do a lot to help you, aside from talking, but I'll try to think of a plan if you get stuck."

'Okay Aang. And thank you.' Korra thought, smiling beneath the mask.

"It's fine. Look sharp, you're going in." the previous Avatar warned as she and Tahno approached a pair of burly doormen.

"You two supposed to be here? Or are you just looking to watch the show?" the man on the left asked. They weren't wearing Equalist Uniforms, but they did bear a badge with Amon's symbol.

"We're supposed to be guarding the perimeter of the arena. We were called up from the south east precinct to help. The Prisoners are a handful apparently." Tahno improvised.

"Okay, get in there. The show will be starting in an hour. Any problems, and it's you guys who have to deal with the boss." The right guard warned, before moving away from the door and allowing them in. Tahno thanked them and Korra nodded, just in case they recognised her voice from the radio.

After entering the main foyer of the arena, Tahno led Korra to a utility area, where they could more easily access the off-limits areas. "If Amon is keeping prisoners, they're bound to be somewhere around here. It's used to store all the cleaning and training equipment, as well as the staff areas."

Korra nodded. "I'll try the doors on the right, you try the left." She said, beginning to look in all the doors along the right side of the hallway. One by one, the doors opened and were shown to have nothing but mops, weights and the occasional couple of unmasked equalists making out in privacy.

"Ugh, that's like the third time! Can't they make out somewhere else?" Korra said angrily as she came across a locked door. "Huh? This one's locked. Maybe this is it!"

Korra moved back, ready to charge the door, but Tahno stopped her. "Whoa there! What if there are other couples like the ones from before? If we smash it down, people will come running. Let's pick the lock."

"How do we do that?" Korra asked.

Tahno called upon his spirit friend to generate a small amount of water. It was barely a mouthful, and was likely all the amount he could muster alone, but Tahno used it to create a rough key shape made of ice. "I learnt this from my dad. You just have to fiddle with the lock and bend the water of the key to try and make it fit properly. It's finicky work but…ah! Got it!" Tahno smiled as he heard the satisfying clunk of the lock opening.

Opening the door, they found what was really inside…

"This is Amon's office!?" Korra said, forgetting to whisper.

"No one's here right now… it looks like he's been here for months! Right under our noses the whole time!"

Korra shivered. "Mako and Bolin used to sleep just upstairs and this guy was hiding beneath them the whole time? Talk about monsters under your bed."

As the two of them took cautious steps into the room, they saw a shadow move behind them. Before either could react, they both found themselves gasping in pain; their bodies no longer responding to their commands.

The spirit within Tahno, as well as those within Korra tried their bests to resist the effects of the bloodbending, but the power seemed to overwhelm even them. Korra slumped to the floor, Tahno beside her and already unconscious. She saw a white mask stare down at her before she finally closed her eyes.

In her unconscious state; Korra began to have a vision. She saw a massive Lion Turtle, the same one from her previous vision. It's massive red eyes gazed upon two spirits, fighting in the distance. The two spirits were almost like kites with their tails intertwined; one was white and the other black, but Korra could see nothing else. Suddenly, she was in a small, filthy prison cell, where a young woman was panting and screaming; undergoing a painful child birth.

The last thing Korra saw before the vision ended was a pair of babies; twins, one boy and one girl, both with pure white hair.

The young Avatar suddenly awoke, startled and disturbed by her vision. Korra tried to raise a hand to wipe her brow, but realised where she was. Her hands were tied behind a wooden post, which she was stood against. Her feet were shackled to the ground and a black cloth was tied around her face, showing only her eyes and making it hard to breathe.

Looking around, she could only see a few people on similar posts, on either side of her. She was in the middle of seven other posts, with Tahno struggling beside her. Korra tried to call to him, but the cloth muffled her words and she was soon being raised up on a platform, along with the other prisoners. As the light of the arena shone down on the girl, she saw the other prisoners.

'Tenzin and the kids!? No, they should have gotten away!' she thought, desperately trying to get away from the chains that bound her.

"Korra, calm down. Focus and call the water spirits; they'll give you the power to break free. Just be patient!" Aang told her, trying to remain calm despite knowing his son and grandchildren now depended on Korra. He had faith in her, but Amon had overpowered her many times before.

Korra stopped struggling and looked at Tenzin. His eyes were concerned, but more so for Jinora and Ikki, who were on the other side of Tahno. Korra gave him a look, trying to show him that she would save them. Words began to reach her ears and she turned to face a huge crowd that occupied the entire arena. Many people cheered as they saw the Avatar and Airbenders rising up from the ground, each bound and gagged.

Amon was talking to his lieutenant, who looked wounded, but not seriously so.

"Where is the former chief of police?" she heard Amon ask.

"Dead. She fell from our airships, directly into the sea. No armour and no energy, so she either died on impact or drowned." Lieutenant told him, making cruel eye contact with Korra as he said it.

Ignoring the man and refusing to believe that Lin would die from such a fall, Korra focused. From left to right, the eight prisoners were Katara, Jinora, Ikki, Tahno, herself, Tenzin, Meelo and Zuko. Pema wasn't there and neither was baby Rohan.

Korra sighed with some relief. Pema was non-bender and Rohan was too young so they wouldn't be here. Still, if Amon took their bending in this order, her old master and the two little girls would fall victim first! Korra wouldn't allow that. Trying to think of a plan, Amon began to address the crowd.

"People of Republic City! You see before you the last of the Airbenders, Team Avatar's remaining members, and even the legendary Avatar herself! For too long have benders kept us all beneath their boots with their power, but no more! Right here, right now, before all of you, I will destroy airbending forever and finally bring down the Bender's false Idol, the Avatar!"

The crowds screamed and roared with joy at the prospect, making the children shiver. This was the first time they truly got to see how vicious and bloodthirsty people could be.

"Now, with whom should I start dear people?" Amon asked, stepping in front of Katara. "The wife of the last Avatar and mother of Airbenders? Or maybe…" he stepped between Jinora and Ikki "Maybe I should just hurry and erase this bending practice entirely! What say you!?"

Korra made up her mind and began to twist and squirm hard, rattling the chains and making as much noise as she could, so much that she drew the attention of the entire crowd.

"I think the young Avatar would like to say something? Let's hear it, shall we?" Amon mocked, roughly pulling the cloth from Korra's face.

"I know what you really are." She said, only loudly enough for Amon. "You're a bloodbender. I recognise the grip and I saw your mask before I passed out."

Amon tilted his head and leaned in close. "and who here will believe you? It is over Avatar. Accept your defeat with grace."

Korra roughly head-butted him, not really hurting him, but putting a noticeable crack through the red son on his mask. "I have something to say to the people! All of you who came here today!" she yelled as Amon reeled back.

"And why should they listen?" Amon asked. "Why should these good people listen to your lies?"

Korra scoffed. "You have no right to call anyone a liar when you walk around with a mask on! Are you so scared to show who you really are? Besides, I don't care if none of you believe me, I'm going to say my piece!"

Taking a deep breath and calming down, Korra looked out at the large crowd. "People of Republic City; I am not going to sit here and tell you what you believe is wrong. I won't deny that benders have done horrible things, and even though non-benders have done terrible things as well, I'm not interested in that. You'd only see it as me shifting the blame. What I want to say is; why are you all so glad to see children being punished for something they had no part of? There are three kids up here who have never committed a single evil act against anyone and yet you are all cheering at the thought of watching a part of who they are being stolen from them! There are two elders up here too; Katara and Zuko helped build your city! Helped create a better world for all of you, and now you're treating them like criminals because they can bend? Why? Someone tell me why you should punish everyone for what a minority did!?"

A member of the crowd stood up. "you don't know what it's like! You've never lost a person you love to bending!" The crowd cheered his words.

"No, I haven't." Korra said, remaining composed despite the jeers being thrown her way. "But I when I first saw Amon take a person's bending, I felt the same as you likely do. I thought non-benders were horrible for wanting to punish all benders, but after the council passed anti-equalist laws that hurt non-benders, I began to get it. You must not bending for the deaths of family members or the losses in your life. It was not bending, but a bender. A single one or multiple. How many benders are doctors who healed your kids?"

There was some muttering among the crowd. Almost everyone's children were delivered by waterbending doctors. Their wounds and accidents were treated by them.

"How many of you live in homes that are powered by the energy provided by Firebenders?"

More murmuring as the crowd became a little more subdued.

"I'm not asking Equalists to stop what they're doing. I'm asking you all, people of Republic City and the World; don't become the like the thing you hate. Fight for Equality against criminals and monsters; work WITH benders to make a better world! Someone very wise once told me…" Korra looked warmly at Tenzin. "No peace built on the suffering of others will last."

Arguing began to break out in the crowds. The more diehard believers in Amon were screaming for him to kill Korra and silence her forever while the less fanatical began discussing the idea of peace between benders and non-benders. Amon growled at the problem caused by the young Avatar, blaming Silver's influence for her words.

Aang smiled in the Spirit World, recognising the true source of Korra's words had been his own son. He swelled with pride.

Amon clapped his hands to get the attention of the crowd back on him. "Enough of these empty words! I shall show you how weak her conviction truly is!"

"No you won't!" Korra yelled, the chains around her arms and legs breaking away easily. Throughout her entire speech, little water spirits were working to freeze the chains right down to the core, weakening them terribly and allowing her to break free.

As soon as she was free, Korra bent shards of ice from thin air, using them to destroy the chains binding the others. Tahno quickly grabbed the girls and threw then to Tenzin, who caught all of them and Meelo in his arms.

"Run, find Pema!" Korra told him, walking slowly forward on the stage, still facing the rest of the crowd.

Tahno, Zuko and Katara all moved to stand with her as the airbenders fled. "A speech worthy of Aang." Zuko praised.

"Indeed. I am very proud of you." Katara added.

Korra smiled. "I'm happy, but we need to deal with Amon and his goons first." She said, turning back to see Amon and his men has regrouped into a single group. Korra cracked her knuckles and pointed at Amon's face.

"I'm going to break that mask with my bare hands!" she said, before charging forward, clashing with Amon.


	29. Chapter 29: Suzaku of the South PT2

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS**

**5. Mako X Asami  
4. Korra X Mako  
3. Korra X Silver  
2. Korra X Bolin  
1. Korra X Lin**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 29: Suzaku of the South PT2

Korra charged forward, ready to do battle with Amon in front of his own followers. She knew about his bloodbending and was prepared for it, though she knew he would never use the technique in front of his followers.

"I will destroy you Avatar." Amon said coolly as he back stepped to avoid Korra's fist. He quickly jabbed her arm twice but it did nothing, as the spirits within Korra undid the blocks on her chi, allowing her to spray a jet of water directly into Amon's face.

Amon backed off for a moment as he felt his mask grow cold. The water on it was freezing as it was touched by an icy mist, currently being released from Korra. Tahno took this moment of hesitation to pull some water from the pool at the bottom of the arena, raining it down on the equalists in the form of icicles. They shattered painfully on the heads and shoulders of the foot soldiers that were trying to reach him, but Korra soon noticed a much worse effect.

Dark shapes were beginning to appear in the windows and on the roof of the building, looking hungrily at the benders fighting.

"Dark Spirits…we need to get these people out of here!" Korra yelled.

Katara and Zuko nodded to each other before moving away from Korra. "Leave it to us!" Katara told her.

Both elders used their bending to get to the referee boxes on either side of the ring. Facing each other, they took a deep breath and began to bend. Katara pulled up the water from the pool below; but not a part of it. ALL of it. The entire pool began to rise up into the air and spin dangerously around the ring, causing the people gathered in the ring itself to flee. Zuko then roared with all his might, creating three massive serpentine dragons of fire from his mouth and hands. The fiery dragons, along with the massive torrent of water flew around the arena in an intimidating fashion, scaring every non-bender and weak willed equalist into fleeing for their lives.

The two elders fell to their knees with exhaustion; the fire going out and the water flooding back into the pool. They had gotten rid of everyone but Amon, his Lieutenant and their own allies. Tenzin and his family emerged in the stands, making Korra sigh with relief to see them all safe.

"It's over Amon. It's five versus two. You can't win." Korra told him as Tenzin dropped down to side with Korra.

"I won't give up so easily, Avatar." Amon said, before turning to his lieutenant. "Leave. I will do this alone." He ordered.

The Lieutenant hesitated, but his wound from earlier was still hurting badly. He couldn't fight in his state, so he nodded to his leader and ran. No one stopped him as all eyes remained on the masked man.

"Everyone stay back! He's a bloodbender. He got rid of the lieutenant so he wouldn't be caught out." Korra warned them all.

"So, it was him who knocked us out. I thought I saw him before passing out, but figured it has been my imagination." Tahno said, preparing himself to fight.

"If he is a bloodbender that could knock the two of you out, even with your spirit allies, then there is little we can do to help you. But I can do this!" Tenzin yelled, spinning around to gather a large and forceful wind. With a single gesture of his palm, the elder monk released the powerful blast of air directly into Amon's gut, winding him and propelling him painfully into the Pro-bending Ring.

Using their water to create slides made of ice, Korra and Tahno moved themselves to the ring as well, ready to face their enemy's leader. Amon stood up and a chunk of his mask fell away, revealing the upper part of his forehead, though his hood still covered most of it.

"That mask has seen better days Amon. Why not get rid of it and show us all who you really are!" Korra yelled.

"The person I was died seventeen years ago. Amon is all I am." He said, his voice losing all anger, but somehow managing to sound scarier than ever.

Korra spat, "Speaking of who you were, how did you get to be such a powerful bloodbender?"

"Your meaning?" Amon asked, crouching slightly as if planning to lunge.

"The Water Spirits that I channel through my body should be able stop any bloodbender, but you managed to overpower them. the only ones who could do that before are members of the Black Lotus and Tarrlok, son of Yakone." Korra stated, bending water from the grates in the arena so that it flowed around her limbs like a scarf of water.

"If you must know, then defeat me. I may just tell you with my dying breath." Amon said dangerously, bending water out of the grates into two ice daggers.

Korra scoffed and blasted Amon with a powerful jet of water, but Amon froze his feet to the arena floor, stopping him from being knocked out. He quickly freed himself and charged forward, throwing one dagger at Tahno to distract him and aiming the other at Korra's throat. He was going for the kill!

Korra didn't react as Amon hit her, holding her to the ground and holding the ice blade at her throat. Tahno moved to attack him, but Amon moved the dagger to show he meant business.

"Surrender Avatar. You lost your chance." Amon said. Korra smirked.

"Do it." she told him.

Amon stuttered, "W-What!? I have a blade at your throat! Do you want to die!?"

"No, but I know you wouldn't do it. You're no killer, I can feel it." Korra said, still grinning at the masked man. Taking advantage of his stunned silence, Korra waterbent his dagger into liquid form and then blasted it back in his face. The force of the attack knocked another chunk off of his mask, revealing his right eye, but Amon quickly pulled away and used ice to fix the broken shard back in place.

"I may not be willing to kill you, but I can hurt you!" Amon yelled, bloodbending Korra. The girl yelped and tried to stop herself from screaming under the intense burning pain. The strength of the bloodbending was beyond anything Korra had ever seen! It was stronger that even Tarrlok!

"Leave her alone!" Tahno yelled, charging at Amon, but he was soon grasped as well. Floating above the ground, Tahno ignored his own pain to focus on Korra, who was struggling hard against the bloodbender's grip.

"I told you I would destroy you; even if I won't kill you, I'll make it so you can't even move!"

"No! Let her go! Take me if you want, but leave her alone!" Tahno yelled as he desperately tried to resist the blood grip.

"Master."

Tahno's eyes widened as he felt a sudden warmth in his chest. "Master, you have protected me and taught me all this time. It is thanks to you that I grew as strong as I did! And now, I will thank you by saving you and your friend! And finally telling you my name." The voice of the tiny water spirit filled his head.

A sudden beam of blue light erupted from Tahno's chest, and from it emerged a bird. This bird, it's feathers coloured a deep crimson, flew around the room several times, growing larger with each complete circle until he flew above Tahno's head, easily the size of a dragon.

"I am Suzaku, the Crimson Phoenix of the Great Southern Glacier!" the bird shouted, it's voice now a deep and suave voice, like that of a noble gentleman. It's neck and legs were each longer than the creature's body and each wing would wrap around Suzaku several times. Longest of all was the long crimson tail feathers, of which a single central feather was the longer than the entire wingspan of the phoenix and shone in the colours of the aurora. Suzaku's head was like that of a stork's, with a long sharp beck and a crest of aurora coloured feathers on its forehead.

With a flap of its wings, a strong arctic wind blew through the arena, covering much of it with frost and with a loud cry, it sent blasts of icicles at Amon, forcing him to dodge backwards and release Korra.

"Whoa…who knew the little guy could grow so big!" Korra said, panting from the bloodbending ordeal.

"A Spirit can grow infinitely more powerful when they work together with a human, just as a human can become stronger with the help of us spirits. I was able to become this powerful thanks to my master." Suzaku said, landing on the ring between Korra and Tahno and folding his wings.

Amon stood up and scowled beneath his mask. "That won't be enough! Surrender Spirit, or I send your master flying!" the man threatened, trying to grip Tahno with his bloodbending, but nothing happened.

"Don't be foolish! Despite having a separate form, I am still bound to my master in Spirit! You can never bloodbend him again." Suzaku told him before flicking him away with his long tail feather. "Master, I would like to show this man the full extent of our combined power! Allow me to fully bond myself to your arm. It will transform your physical side, but it will be temporary."

Tahno smirked. "After what you just did, I don't care if it's temporary or permanent! Let's do this!"

Suzaku cried out yet again and took to the sky before dive bombing on Tahno's right arm, which he pointed towards the sky. As soon as the bird fully entered his arm, a metamorphosis began.

The clothing on his right arm was ripped off entirely and it turned a deep, blue and became translucent. It looked like it was made of ice! The entire arm from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers turned to ice before red markings that resembled a bird appeared. The image of the bird's head appeared on the back of Tahno's hand and the main body appeared on his wrist, while the long tail feather stretched up his arm and ended at his shoulder. The ice that made up his new arm began to warp, creating a patch of icy feathers on Tahno's shoulder, making it look like an ordinary bird's tail feathers, while a pair of long wings began to sprout from his wrist. Following the pattern, the wings expanded and thinned out, making the rough shape of a bow. The wings turned from ice into feathers and wrapped themselves around Tahno's forearm, before becoming ice again, completing the transformation.

"Whoa! This feels weird!" Tahno said, flexing his fingers. Despite being made of ice, the entire arm moved as easily as it did when it was flesh, and it did not feel cold at all!

"Master, with my power, you may extend the wings on your wrist to create a bow. Point this bow at your foes and they will be struck down by the mighty Arrows of the Artic Phoenix. Point it toward the sky and create snow that freezes your enemies in an explosion of ice, and point it at the earth to summon great structure of ice from beneath your foes." Suzaku instructed him.

Tahno grinned. "Korra, you can sit this one out. I'm going to wipe the floor with him myself!"

Korra looked on with surprise as Tahno charged forward, punching Amon with his new arm. A layer of frost and snow appeared on Amon's shoulder, where the punch had landed, and it slowed his movements.

No matter how hard he tried, Amon could not bloodbend Tahno and not could he chi-block him. This fight was over before it began.

Pointing his index and middle fingers at Amon, as if he was going to bend lightning, Tahno extended the wings on his wrist into the form of a bow. A blue light began to shine on his fingers and fired forth in the form of an arrow of ice.

"Arrow of the Artic Phoenix!" Tahno yelled, and the arrow struck Amon in the face, freezing his head and causing him to fall forward, shattering the ice that encased him, along with the remains of his mask and hood.

Tahno panted hard as he fell to his knees. The attack had used up more energy than he had thought, and his arm had already returned to normal! He would need to train hard before he could sustain it for longer. Suzaku returned to slumbering quietly in his master's body, having grown tired as well.

Korra, Katara, Zuko and Tenzin's family made their way onto the ring, surrounding Tahno and the fallen Amon.

"That was amazing!" Katara said, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"It was truly awesome. Odd though, I had always associated phoenixes with fire." Zuko smiled.

Tahno sat down, still breathing hard. "It was nothing, Suzaku did all the work. Anyway, his mask is broken. Let's see who he is."

Korra nodded and turned the barely conscious man over, her eyes growing wide as she did so.

"T-Takona!?" Korra yelled, recognising the face of the kindly teacher that had helped her so many times in the past.

"It's Noatak actually." A sudden female voice appeared from behind the group, appearing in a flash of light. Two women stood there; Silver and a mildly wounded Lin.

"Lin!" Tenzin cried, happily embracing his friend. "We thought you were dead!"

"I was as good as dead! I was drowning and had no energy to swim, when this idiot appeared and dragged me away. I have never been so mortified." Lin said, blushing lightly.

"She's just mad that she was barely conscious and not even breathing! I had to give her mouth to mouth! Running from her rage is what took me so long to get here." Silver said, walking over to Korra, who was still holding Noatak by the collar.

"Korra, let him go. There's nothing for you to do now. I'll explain everything." Silver told her, gently moving her young student away from the unmasked man. Chi-blocking Amon so he couldn't move, Silver took the group to sit in the stands to rest.

"I know I have a lot to explain, but I need to do this in pieces alright? It's a long story." Silver stated, taking a deep breath.

"Firstly, his name is Noatak. He took the name Takona as a disguise to roam the city without his mask. He is the son of Yakone, and Tarrlok's brother."

"So that's how he could bloodbend us even with our spirits!" Korra said, punching her palm. She wanted to punch Amon, but she tried to restrain herself. Korra had never felt such anger.

"Speaking of spirits, did you know that something would happen with Suzaku? Is that why you gave him to me?" Tahno asked.

Silver smirked and nodded. "Among the spirits, there is a special subclass between Animal and Elemental Spirits. They are called Anima Aes; Spirits in the shape of animals which bond with humans to create powerful elemental weapons."

Tenzin smiled. "Doesn't Anima Aes translate to Spirit Weapon?"

Silver nodded. "More or less, but the literal translation is Spirit Arms. Arms has been used as a word for weapons for countless centuries, but in this case, it really does mean an arm, like an appendage."

"A double meaning." Amon said, looking at the First Avatar.

"So you can still talk. Here I was thinking Tahno had done us a favour and froze your tongue." Korra said bitterly.

"Hmph, still mad I lied to you? Grow up Avatar, you know nothing of this world or the people in it" Amon scoffed.

"I know enough Amon!" Korra practically exploded. "I know that those kids idolised you! They respected you and the entire time, you were the one who took their parents' bending and caused their hardships. How could you even face them every day? Or did you get some sick enjoyment out of watching them suffer because of bending. And since you're a bloodbender, that's even more hypocritical!"

"I never enjoyed it! I did what I did to stop those Bast-" Amon paused, remembering that the air children were present, "I did it to stop the Black Lotus…I did it because they are the epitome of bending; they believe in a bending hierarchy with the Avatar on top, as their slave, and the non-benders on the bottom. I hated them, so I set out to be their opposite in every way! Non-benders would rule, and I'd get my vengeance."

"But why do you hate them? Is it because your father wanted to sell you to them? Well you dodged that, and let your little brother take it for you." Korra shouted.

"I loved Tarrlok…when I ran away from home, I tried to convince him to come with me, but he refused. He cared too much for our parents. I admit, it tore me up to leave mother. But my father was never why I hated them." Noatak said, looking more defeated than ever.

"Then why?" Korra asked, calming down.

"Because of me." Silver said. "Many years ago, I encountered Noatak in the artic. He was sick, so I nursed him back to health. He told me about Yakone and his connection with the Black Lotus, so I took him in. We travelled together for years; it was I that taught him chi-blocking and how to use bloodbending to seal a person's bending; so he wouldn't have to use the skills his father had taught him. And then, seventeen years ago…"

"You vanished." Korra interrupted, realising where this was going. "The Black Lotus captured you while you were in Republic City, visiting Aang on his deathbed. When you escaped, you fled the human world in fear and anger, leaving Noatak behind. He found out it was their fault that you left him, and swore vengeance. Am I right?" Korra asked.

Silver and Noatak nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Korra looked Noatak in the eye. "I understand why you did it. But it was still stupid, and I haven't forgiven you for lying to those kids. Without you, your rebellion will be over in a matter of hours."

Silver nodded. "Mako, Asami and Bolin, with General Iroh's help, was able to take out the Air base. The United Forces fleet is capturing the city piece by piece, but Tarrlok is still a problem."

Korra turned back to Noatak. "Your brother is in trouble. He's possessed by a Black Spirit named Tan and is summoning the Dark Spirits. If you help us stop him, we may be able to work out a deal that doesn't involve you rotting in prison for the rest of your life."

Noatak nodded. "I'll do it for my brother… and for you, Silver. But this does not make us friends."

"Right." Korra said, turning back to the elders, Lin and Tenzin. "Tenzin, get your family and the others to safety. Silver, can you bring Asami, Mako and Bolin to me so we can fight Tarrlok together?"

"You got it. Go to the residential district; Tarrlok is in the abandoned playground near Noatak's school." Silver told them.

"I know the place, I will lead them." Noatak said.

Korra smiled and pumped her fist. "Right, let's go and finish this battle, once and for all!"


	30. Chapter 30: Kai-Tan

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS!**

**5. Korra X Tahno  
4. Korra X Mako  
3. Korra X Lin  
2. Mako X Asami  
1. Korra X Bolin**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

**Since this is the last chapter of book 1, i will be going on a break for a while. I'll be taking thirty days off to celebrate christmas and write the rest of Book 2. From now on, there will be a thirty day split between all books, which is the trade off for daily releases.**

**I'll return with Book 2: Envy on 19th January 2014!**

**Merry Christmas from me and a Happy New Year!**

**And for anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays!**

**Silver Omega, signing out.**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 1: Greed

Chapter 30: Kai and Tan

Team Avatar's new generation stood on the border of the residential district, watching the swarms of dark spirits flying everywhere. The beasts came in many shapes, from animals to humans to indescribable messes of limbs and teeth.

Silver shuddered. "Five kids, myself and Noatak…not a great team to be taking these things on with."

Mako nodded. "I can't say I like our chances. Are you sure Tarrlok is in here?"

"This is the where the spirits are thickest. Tan, the Black Spirit of greed, is controlling Tarrlok as best he can, but Tan's possession is based off Tarrlok's own greed. If Tarrlok is resisting his own greed, then Tan will be having trouble. That's why he's built up so many lesser spirits here; to protect himself as gains full control over Tarrlok." Silver explained.

Asami gulped. "Last time we saw him, he had two extra arms growing from his shoulders…is that anything like Tahno's spirit arm? The one you mentioned."

"Black Spirits are a form of Divine Spirit, so they aren't technically Anima Aes, but they can still warp a human into looking like their own form. Tan's natural spirit form is a four armed gorilla." Silver told them.

Noatak frowned. "Didn't you tell me a poem about these things when I was young?"

Silver nodded and began to recite the poem.

"Bao of Gluttony eats all he sees, his form; a voracious boar.

Lan of Sloth, as an indolent cat, would waken with a roar.

Yuw of Lust is Lascivious, her black wings blot out the sun.

Tan of Greed hordes his wealth; from this ape's avarice you should run.

Koh of Envy steals faces for himself; a serpent of deep green.

Fen of Wrath; a vicious lion, his fury is like none you've seen.

And finally, the worst of the lot; unslain by all who've tried,

Should you see him, run for your life, away from Hao of Pride."

Korra shuddered. "That's a creepy poem… I really don't like the ending about Pride…"

Silver patted her back. "Pride is dangerous, as it is the only sin that can never be truly washed clean. It affects everyone, regardless of gender, age or social circle. None completely escape it."

Noatak tutted. "Pride is one thing, but we're dealing with greed here. Are you children always so easily distracted?"

"Says the guy who got his butt kicked by just one of us." Bolin pointed out.

"Hmph, I wouldn't have lost if it weren't for the intervention of that spirit. I'm surprised that something like that could be raised by someone so young. Tahno must be quite the amazing waterbender." Noatak said, mostly talking to himself.

Tahno blinked. "Did I just get praised by Amon… why does that make me feel so happy?"

"Don't let it go to your head; I just recognise skill when I see it. Now how assuming we can fight our way to Tarrlok, how I we going to defeat him and get rid of Tan? Silver mentions that she couldn't do it alone." Noatak said.

Korra and Silver exchanged looks. "If Korra helps me, I should be able to wash the greed out of Tan, reverting him back to the White version; Kai the Generous."

"Then we just need to get the two of you close to him." Noatak began to run towards the playground near his school. "Let's get a move on then. I want this partnership to end sooner than later!"

Team Avatar quickly ran after him, not exactly wanting to prolong the partnership any more than he did. For the most part, the larger Dark Spirits didn't seem too interested in the group and they were only assaulted by small groups, which Silver was able to easily smash away with airbending. "The smaller they are, the less greed they need to get bigger. The larger ones won't waste their time on people without a lot of greed in their hearts." Silver told them as they ran.

"So we're safe? Good! The last thing I need today is any more fighting!" Korra said, still tired from her encountered with Amon.

"The bond between you and the spirits is getting stronger Korra, all this spirit fighting will help you connect with your past lives soon." Silver told her.

"I know, I can already talk to Aang. My chakra is closed at the moment though, so he can't connect with me." Korra told her master.

"Keep it closed for now. If a dark spirit successfully corrupts you while you're connecting to the other Avatars, it would turn them all into Dark Spirits. You'll need to rely on normal waterbending until we subdue Tan." Silver warned.

After a few minutes of running, they found an area that was completely devoid of Dark Spirits, with the flying ones seemingly too scared to enter the area. Team Avatar stepped into the area and it was like stepping through an odd membrane of spiritual energy. The sky above them was clear of clouds, but was a deep purple, and the sun appeared black. It was an eerie scene.

"This is the block that my school and the old playground are on." Noatak said, stepping forward cautiously.

"It's a Sin Gate. They're areas sealed off by the Black Spirits to act as their own lair. No one would normally be able to enter here, but it seems Tarrlok is allowing us." Silver mentioned. As the group walked down the block, they began finding massive piles of jewellery, books and other valuables; even piles of yuans fresh from a bank.

"Everything Tarrlok desired; wealth and knowledge. The Dark Spirits are gathering them here for him. Tan is trying to buy Tarrlok's obedience. I believe he also wanted to be reunited with his brother."

"Which is why his Dark Spirits were converging on the arena." Noatak finished Silver's sentence. The First Avatar nodded and the team rounded one final corner, finding the place they had been searching for…

It was an old children's playground; rusted and broken. It looked like it had been built near the beginning of Republic City's life, but had become disused and forgotten. The grass was mostly brown and dead, and that was in the patches where there was any kind of life at all! Not even weeds seemed to grow in the hardened soil. A slide and merry-go-round were lying in pieces, each reduced to a chunk of rusted metal. The single swing set was creaking eerily in the wind and a man sat in the only swing that had not rusted or fallen off.

"Another side effect of the Black Spirits. Wherever they make their Sin Gates; everything begins to die. If we stay here for more than an hour, we'll all be reduced to corpses." Silver said, feeling a shiver go down her spine.

The man in the swing was obviously Tarrlok, but he was like Korra had never seen. He stared at the group, but his eyes didn't see them. They had become red and bloodshot, sinking into his head like an old man. His clothing was in tatters and left his chest bare, while his hair hung loosely about his head. When he spoke, he did so in a dry crackled voice; like he had gone days without water.

"Tan has gotten good at his mind games, if he's making me see my own brother." Tarrlok wheezed. He had never seen Takona when he was with Team Avatar, but now that Tarrlok could see the man, he knew it was Noatak.

The eyes were unmistakeable.

"I am not an illusion. I'm here to help you to break free of the devil inside you." Noatak said, feeling a weight in his stomach at the sight of his deteriorating younger brother.

"Devil? Me? How silly!" Tarrlok laughed, his eyes glowing red and his voice changing, signifying that it was now Tan who spoke. "I'm not a devil any more than you are an illusion! I am a powerful Black Spirit!"

Noatak spat on the ground. "I hardly see a difference."

Tan threw his head back and laughed hysterically, unnerving Team Avatar and angering Noatak. "The difference, my dear Amon, is that devils are the work of humans, only able to do what you imagine they can do, and of course, they can't actually hurt you."

Tan suddenly pointed a finger at Amon, hitting him with a tendril of dark spirit energy. "We Black Spirits are not only capable of things you couldn't even imagine, but we are more than happy to hurt you."

The strike didn't cause much damage to Noatak, but he still felt the pain; like he had been stung by some kind of giant insect. Despite the lack of damage, he could feel his body moving more sluggishly. Korra remembered what Silver had told them after Ba Sing Se…

"Dark Spirits can attack our souls directly, draining our energy. We can't afford to be hit!" she warned, urging the others to move around. Korra and Noatak remained standing in front of Tarrlok/Tan while Silver and Asami took his left side, Mako and Bolin took his right side, and Tahno stood behind him, all of them at a healthy distance.

"The girl has learnt a few things I see! I'm glad. But you should remember something else; even though I am a very greedy spirit, I am not unlike your human merchants. I am willing to barter." Tan said, offering his hand to Korra.

"And what kind of bartering are you planning on?" Korra asked.

Tan grinned creepily. "I'll call off my Dark Spirits and hand over Tarrlok; in return for ownership of this city and the use of the Avatar as my vessel!"

Korra scoffed. "Even I know those are some stupid terms, and I'm not even good with business!"

Asami nodded. "No one would make that deal. So how about a counter deal; you call off your goons, free Tarrlok and never show your face again, and we won't destroy you."

Tan laughed again. "Oh Silver, did you not teach them that an ordinary human can't destroy a spirit? Heck, NO ONE can kill a Divine Spirit and unfortunately for you, I make that grade."

Tan stood up, stretching Tarrlok's body, as if warming up for something. His eyes glowed and a series of arcane symbols appeared no his chest and expanding over his arms in two separate lines. They slowly began to glow a deep purple and the Black Spirit looked malevolently at Korra.

"Last chance Avatar. My final offer is I take you as a prisoner and leave the city, but I keep Tarrlok as a body. If you refuse…" he clicked his neck and began to exude a purple aura. Just like their first encounter, the aura produced two additional arms like tendrils, which Korra now recognised as Tan's extra arms. His true form was a four armed gorilla after all.

"If you refuse, we can try aggressive negotiation." The being's voice was thick with malevolence.

Korra looked to Silver, but the First Avatar seemed confident, if cautious, so Korra stood her ground. "No Deal, Tan. We're going to finish you, right here, right now!"

Tan looked disappointed as the members of Team Avatar took up battle positions. He could sense that they were all skilled, but few had the power to defeat him. Noatak and Tahno, with their enhanced powers and Anima Aes, would be enough to damage his vessel, but only Silver and Korra could seriously hurt Tan himself.

'I'll need to catch and crush them swiftly' he thought.

"H-He plans to UGH! C-Crush Silver and Korra! H-he'll target them first!"

Tan was surprised to find that his vessel was even still conscious with him in control, but even more surprised that he could hear his thoughts. "Damnable fool. I should remove his tongue. Knowing my intentions won't be enough to let you stop me. This battle is already finished."

Tan's dark aura began to expand and thicken over Tarrlok's body, until it completely consumed him in its darkness. The mass of malevolence grew larger and larger, forcing Team Avatar to retreat so as not to be crushed. The shape began to change shape from a man to an ape; with a large muscular torso and short legs, as well as four massive arms sprouting from his shoulders. When it stopped growing, the Black Spirit was as tall as a sky scraper and each arm was as thick as one, while the main mass of the beast was enough to fill the Republic City Arena with no trouble.

"Gaze upon the might of my true form! In each arm I possess the power to destroy you and an entire army!" Tan roared, his voice becoming bestial.

Silver grabbed the teens and used the spirits of air to rapidly transport them to Yue Bay, placing them on Aang's statue's head. She then vanished again and returned with Tan, using the spirits of earth to give her the strength to throw the beast a short ways out to sea.

"If he's in the city limits, he'll cause huge amounts of destruction." Silver explained.

"Then why not take him somewhere he'd be harmless; like a desert or a mountain?" Noatak questioned.

"Because he's too big! I could barely move him this far. Besides, I warned Iroh that this might happen. His battle ships in the bay will use their cannons to help us. I'm sorry to say it, but anyone who isn't a waterbender or Avatar will be unable to fight here." Silver said, turning to Asami, Mako and Bolin.

"That's fine, but can you take us to Iroh? We may be able to help him with the battleships." Asami asked.

The First Avatar nodded and quickly warped the three of them away with her speed. "Now, all the Black Spirits have these tricks that allow them to use their ultimate abilities. For Koh, he can steal your face if you show him expression, so long as you're making eye or physical contact. Tan can trap you in an illusion, showing you the thing you want most. It'll seem so real, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But he can only do this if you are stung by those tendrils, like Noatak was earlier. The only way to counter it is to not touch the thing he tricks you with."

"So if he showed you a huge pile of money, you mustn't touch it. Got it." Korra said, jumping from Aang's monument. She easily bent the water of the sea to catch her, before freezing some of it into the form of a rough surfboard. Surfing toward Tan, Korra began to create massive blades of ice, pushing her spiritual bending to its limits.

The ice did not shatter or piece Tan, but was rather absorbed into his body, as if he was made of jelly. Tan laughed at Korra's attempts, playfully patting his hands on the surface of the water and sending colossal tidal waves at Korra. The young Avatar was a true-blooded water tribeswoman, so she was well versed in surfing and water transport; allowing her to easily weave her way through the waves; using them to her advantage and manipulating them with her own bending. Tan's size allowed him to move the water in larger quantities, and with more force, but he lacked the finesse which Korra showed.

This was why Silver had truly thrown Tan into the sea. Korra was in her natural element.

She wasn't the only one of course, and while Silver used Air Spirits to glide through the sky, trying to distract Tan, Noatak was aiding Korra in trying to freeze the beast's colossal, but comparably stubby legs. Tahno however, was stood on top of Aang's monument still; focusing all of his remaining energy. He had rested enough since the last time, but he wanted to use Suzaku again.

"Are you strong enough to bond with my arm again?" the boy asked.

"Yes, but only enough for one shot. We must time it perfectly." Suzaku spoke from within him.

"I can live with that. We'll aim for the torso; if Tarrlok's body is still in there, maybe freezing it would stop Tan from moving his spirit body."

Suzaku focused on Tan's position and bonded with Tahno, transforming his arm into the Anima Aes. From a distance away, Tan could see the glow of the artic arrow, being aimed at him by Tahno and Suzaku.

'That could be trouble, I've got to stop him.' The beast thought, moving to attack Tahno. He stumbled however, as one of his legs was frozen to the sea by Korra and Noatak. The other leg swiftly followed and Tan howled like an ape in anger.

"Fools! My strength is enough to break this with ease!"

Silver yelled back to the armada of ships. "Aim for his right arms! I'll take out his left! FIRE!"

A hail of cannon fire sent blasts of iron, stone and fire into Tan's right shoulder, temporarily destroying the arms. Silver smiled widely and bent the largest bolt of lightning she could, using it like a sword to severe the left arms in one burning slice. With all his arms severed and his legs frozen, Tan was unable to move or defend himself! He could use his tendrils, but it would slow the regeneration of his arms, and if he allowed himself to be frozen by Tahno and Suzaku's attack, he would be as good as dead.

Growling with bestial rage, Tan put all his energy into a single long tendril that shot forth and pierced right through Tahno, inflicting the most excruciating pain that he had ever felt. The poor boy fell to his knees with a loud scream, frantically trying to rub the burn from his chest. The sting had not left a wound, as it was a spiritual attack; but it had robbed him of most of his strength.

But it was Tan's curse that truly took it out of him.

The ape spirit smiled. "The Curse of the Earthly Desire. Anyone cursed by my tendrils will be shown an irresistible desire, and the moment he touches it, he'll never be able to undo the curse."

Korra and Noatak stopped, looking up at the hallucinating Tahno. "Tahno…you can beat him! I know it!" Korra said, whispering to herself as she knew her words would not reach him if she shouted.

Tahno shuddered as he worked to regain his footing, but he was no longer on the top of Aang's memorial. Now, he was in the centre of the pro-bending arena; a pile of fine jewels on one side and gold coins on the other. He was surrounded by great wealth, women in fine dresses and even a case full of trophies, all naming Tahno as a champion in one thing or another.

Tahno gripped his head and shook it violently. "This isn't real…"

One of the women approached him, morphing into Korra in a fine blue dress. "Tahno, I'm so happy for you! I always knew you were the best!"

"No, I'm not that guy anymore…I'm not the fool obsessed with money!"

The illusion Korra began to get closer. "Come on, kiss me. Kiss me and you can stay in this world forever!"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Tahno raised his arm, threatening her with his Anima Aes. The illusionary Korra backed off in fear, and the room began to freeze. Piece by piece cracked and fell away, until the illusion was completely gone.

Tahno panted hard as he looked Tan in the eye. The beast was surprised and scared to see his illusion had faded. Silver grinned as she knew that a few months ago, the illusion would have worked. Korra and Team Avatar had changed Tahno for the better; and now he would repay them.

Pointing his Anima Aes squarely at Tan's chest, Tahno grinned. "Korra and Silver, take this guy out. Arrow of the Artic Phoenix!"

Tan roared as the bolt of blue energy struck him, piercing right through the spiritual energy that made up his body and striking Tarrlok, freezing him solid. With Tarrlok frozen, there was no way for Tan to move his massive form and now he was a sitting duck.

Silver descended down to where Korra stood, her feet frozen to her icy surfboard. "Tahno froze Tarrlok, and until he is freed, Tan can't control his spirit form. This gives me the perfect chance to teach you how to purify a spirit."

Korra smiled. "And how do I do that?"

"Each of the four elements that humans can bend can be used in four separate techniques. The basic technique, the advanced technique, the dark technique and the spiritual technique. For Water, the basic is obvious. The advanced form is Ice and the Dark Form is Blood, but the Spirit Form is special." Silver explained.

"The Spirit form is what we're going to use to cleanse Tan, right?" Korra asked.

"Yes, it is. The Spirit forms utilise the core tenant of its element; for Earth it is Substance, for Fire it is Power, for Air it is Freedom and for Water it is Change. By keeping your Water Chakra open and passing the spirits of water through your body and into the water you bend, you can turn the water a shimmering gold, allowing you to turn a spirit to the same alignment as you."

"Alignment?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"Yin or Yang. If you are good hearted, you may turn others good, while if you are evil, so will be the spirits you change. Only a perfectly balanced person can do both."

Korra's eyes fell. "This is the same technique that the Black Lotus used on me and you, right? The one they used to control us."

Silver nodded. "A power that allows the evil to turn others evil would be too dangerous, so the Divine Spirits that govern the element of Water changed the nature of the technique. It could not turn people truly evil, but it did allow temporary obedience. A double edged sword in its own right."

Korra did not meet Silver's eye. "What we're doing… is it like enslaving Tan?"

"No Korra." Silver smiled at her student's heart. "Tan is only one half, one personality of the entire spirit. He is the "Black", we're going to change him to the "White". Trust me, it will be fine."

Korra sighed and took in a deep breath. "Alright, let's do it." she said, mentally opening her Water Chakra. Silver did the same and the two girls moved to opposite sides of Tan; Korra to his left and Silver to his right. Bending portions of the sea into two huge rings of water, both girls focused, allowing themselves to become extensions to the water; allowing the tiny elemental spirits to pass from the Spirit World, through their chakras and out of their bodies, into the rings of water.

The rings began to shine like the sun, in dazzling shade of gold and the water slowly flowed in an intertwining river around the colossal Black Spirit. Slowly but surely, the deep purple form of Tan began to turn a shimmering gold until it completely encompassed the beast's huge body.

Korra stopped bending and allowed the water to return to the sea, and the spirits to return to their world as she watched Tan's massive form disintegrate into thousands upon thousands of white gold feathers. Silver surfed back to Korra and smiled at her.

"Good work Korra. Those feathers are feathers of Generosity. When we purified the Spirit of Greed, the greed he collected was transformed into those feathers and sent out across the world. All who touch them will be given a new sense of generosity. The world will be no doubt improved by our actions today." Silver told her.

Korra smiled before turning back to Silver. "What about Tarrlok and Tan?"

"Tan's White Spirit form will have returned to the Spirit World, but I suspect he'll be back soon to see us. As for Tarrlok; Noatak went to get him. He'll be tired, but everything should be okay now.

Korra sighed with relief. "Today was really hectic! Between Takona, ugh, Noatak and Tan, we've done a lot of fighting."

Silver giggled. "Yes we have. We have many more fights in the future, but for now, let's go and rest."

Korra smiled broadly and Team Avatar returned to the Island for some much needed rest…

* * *

EPILOGUE

Book 1: Greed

One week after the defeat of Amon and Tan, Republic City finally returned to normal as the last of the Equalists gave up and went into hiding. Tarrlok has been taken to a hospital to be examined, but was taken back to Air Temple Island so Team Avatar could await his awakening.

Noatak remained under house arrest on the island as well, and the public story was that Amon joined forces with the Avatar to fight the giant beast that had appeared, and had tragically died in the defence of Republic City.

The now former Equalist leader was puzzled by this act of kindness from Korra and Team Avatar, but Korra jokingly called it "An act of generosity" before showing the man one of Tan's white feathers.

In Korra's eyes, Amon's evil actions were caused by his anger at being left behind by Silver when she fled the Black Lotus, and while they would take some time to truly be repented, his help against Tan for the sake of his brother showed he was good at heart. So Team Avatar decided to keep a somewhat awkward peace with him, with everyone remaining polite, but cautious.

Silver, with Tenzin's permission, opened a small "Bending Restoration" Clinic on Air Temple Island, and worked with the spirits to restore the bending of everyone who's powers had been sealed away by Amon.

Zuko and Katara decided to return to their home nations, while Iroh and Bumi remained with Tenzin and Korra as members of Team Avatar, along with Kya, who came from the South Pole to visit her brother's family.

Hiroshi Sato was publically acquitted of his part in the Equalist Rebellion, after the Council told the city he was being held against his will. Hiroshi, with the help of Asami, signed a new contract with Republic City that promised Future Industries would offer up either money or assistance in repairing the damaged city. While the Future Industries founder still had a strong dislike of benders, he decided to let things pass for now, and finally allow the memory of his beloved wife to rest.

Lin was given the position of Chief of Police again, and Saikhan was demoted due to his incompetence during their time of Turmoil, but was mercifully allowed to remain on the police force by Lin. Mako, Bolin and Tahno all decided to enter the police academy to further their training and help protect the city in their own ways, forming an understanding with Lin that they could get Korra to help out with crime, whilst keeping an eye on her.

And Korra and Silver returned to their training; allowing those White Lotus sentries who were truly loyal to Korra to stay on the island as her personal guard. Tenzin was less than thrilled to see Korra in command of the some rather elite benders, but he was tempered by her promise to consult him before using them for anything. Silver on the other hand made no such promises when she took control of the Island's militia from Beifong!

And so the first week after the battle passed.

It was a Sunday afternoon, with the sun slowly preparing to set and the members of Team Avatar rested and playing in for the first time in what felt like years. It was in this time of relaxing that a very unrelaxed Noatak ran out into the courtyard.

"Tarrlok is awake! He's asking for Korra." The man yelled before running back in.

Tenzin, Korra, Lin and Silver ran after him, going to the island's infirmary. They hurried into the room, only to see Noatak already back beside the bed, and Tarrlok sitting up with a lethargic look on his face.

"Avatar Korra, Tenzin. How long has it been?"

"About a week." Korra answered, sitting opposite Noatak. "We purified Tan. We're actually waiting for his white half to return."

Tarrlok looked down, into the folds of his medical gown. "Well, I think he may be here. My chest is glowing."

Without thinking, Korra pulled his robe open to expose his chest, making Tarrlok blush while the rest of the room giggled. "You're right! He's got a weird white glow coming from his heart."

"I'm not weird." A little voice came, as a small lemur poked his head out of Tarrlok's body. The White Spirit took the form of a simple lemur, very much like Momo, but with a bushier tail and smaller ears. It phased out of Tarrlok's chest and climbed on to his shoulder. "My name is Kai, White Spirit of Generosity and the opposite of Tan. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I've been bonded with Tarrlok this whole time, helping to fix his body."

Silver smiled and approached the lemur spirit. "It's not a problem Kai. It's been a while since we've talked."

"Silver? You look a little different. Not as down in the dumps as when I last saw you." Kai smiled.

"A lot can happen in a thousand years." Silver joked.

Tenzin stepped forward, smiling but still concerned. "Now that Tarrlok is awake, we need to discuss the future of both him and Noatak. We can't let everything pass."

Korra frowned. "Come on Tenzin. Give him a break, he only just woke up."

"Be that as it may, I still need to pay for what I did, correct?" Tarrlok said.

Tenzin shook his head. "I was actually going to proposition that Noatak rebuild his school on this island, since it was destroyed when Tan went wild. I feel that would be the best way for him to repent. That and helping Team Avatar if we need him. As for you, Tarrlok, since Korra doesn't want to press charges against you for false imprisonment or bloodbending, and Tan's actions weren't your fault, I was going to send you back to work with me in the council."

Tarrlok blinked and looked to Korra. "Is this what you want?"

Korra nodded. "I don't like holding grudges. If you and Noatak are truly sorry for what you did, then be good councilmen and teachers. Plus, I think Silver is secretly very happy to get Noatak back."

Silver blushed and lightly whapped Korra on the back. "Shut it you. We're going back to training. Kai, you're welcome to stick around for as long as you want; just let me know if you want to go back to the Spirit World."

Kai nodded. "I will, but I was actually hoping of staying with Tarrlok, to pay for what I did as Tan."

"I would welcome some company." Tarrlok smiled, offering his finger to the lemur for him to shake.

With the final decision for Noatak and Tarrlok made, everyone left the room, including Tarrlok (he could use some fresh air!). The last to leave were Silver and Noatak, who stopped to talk to each other in privacy.

"You know Silver…the day I gave you that ring, you never gave me an answer." Noatak said.

Silver blushed and looked down at the ring that she still wore. She hadn't taken it off in seventeen years… "My feelings are too messed up. I don't know how I feel about the two of us. What about you? Has your feelings stayed the same over these years."

Noatak shook his head. "They're all jumbled. A part of me feels the same, but another part is still angry. I think we'll need to stay as friends for now."

Silver smiled. "Just like old friends."

Noatak nodded and smiled. "Yes. Like old friends. It is odd though; Korra seemed to know about what we were before."

"That girl can be sharp as a sword and dumb as a stump all in the same sentence." Silver joked.

Laughing together like they did years ago, Silver and Noatak left the room together as friends. A lot was happening across the world, and the next year would prove challenging for everyone, especially Korra. But somehow, Silver figured it would be fine.

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away…

* * *

"Father, what exactly are you planning? Dark Spirits have appeared all over the place recently."

"Calm yourself Desna. The Dark Spirits are just a means to an end. They'll convince my niece to help us."

"But tales from the city have reported that she has already defeated a Black Spirit."

"Our master is greater than a Black Spirit. Trust me."

"Very well…father."


	31. Book 2: Envy Chapter 1: Dark Dreams

**Hello Readers!**

**I hope you all had a good christmas and new year!**

**As promised, Book 2 begins today!**

**I'll be posting the current top 5 in the pairing polls shortly, but first i've got a couple of announcement!**

**I'm starting a second poll, which will come back from time to time. It's a poll to decide the fate of the Book's Villain.**

**The options for this Poll are:**

**A. Survives the Book and is forgiven  
B. Survives the Book and joins Team Avatar  
C. Survives the Book but is punished for their actions  
D. Is Killed in the Book (if you chose this option, you can also state who kills them)**

**This Book's Villain will be obvious to those who saw the show's book 2, but i won't spoil it, just in case.**

**The second announcement is that i'm going to start doing semi-regular Avatar Extras again, to add extra detail to the stories or talk about some of the ideas that went into the book.**

**Enough's enough though, Enjoy the Beginning of Book 2**

**Please Review!**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 2: Envy

Chapter 01: Dark Dreams

Winter had slowly gave way to spring and a long month passed following the end of the Equalist Revolution. The weather became warmer and the snow falling was replaced by mild rain showers, watering the slowly budding plants. The last month had resulted in many changes in Republic City, but for two girls on Air Temple Island, there was a certain change that was most unwelcome.

For the fifth time that week, Korra found herself waking with a start; her heart beating faster and her thoughts zipping about even faster. For the last month, ever since the defeat of Tan, Korra had been faced with strange dreams. These weren't particularly nightmarish or even that scary, but they carried a feel of uncertainty and abnormality. Korra sighed as she looked out the window.

Dawn was still a few hours away and sleep wouldn't be coming to Korra again that night.

Korra got up and changed, washing up for another very early day. Leaving her room, she made her way to the kitchens to fix her own breakfast, when she found someone else had beaten her to the idea.

"G'morning." Jinora greeted sleepily as she waited for her toast to finish.

"Morning. Another sleepless night for you too?" Korra asked.

Jinora simply nodded. "I made extra, just in case you got up too." She said sweetly, pointing to the oven.

Korra smiled and lightly ruffled Jinora's hair. The girl was in a plain red night dress and her hair was not tied in her usual bun, but neatly fell around her shoulders. Jinora's own nightmares had begun around the same time as Korra's and as they often shared sleepless nights, the two became kindred spirits; with Jinora often playing card games with Korra in her room while the others slept.

When their breakfast was ready, Korra buttered it all up and used her waterbending to spread some jam on it (Korra was still amazed at the things she could bend, now that she had a better grasp of where Water was) before handing it to Jinora. The two ate quietly for a moment before Jinora piped up.

"Was yours the same again?" she asked meekly.

Korra nodded. "Yeah. It was the same guy with the scruffy hair and goatee. We were standing in some kind of weird void; like the night sky, and whenever I talked to him, he would talk back but I couldn't hear him. It was like he was mouthing it."

"You couldn't read his lips?"

"Nah, it seemed like gibberish to me."

Jinora frowned and Korra ruffled her hair again. "What about you? Same dream?"

"Kind of. It was similar. It was a guy again but he looked darker than usual. He sounded just like the guy from your dreams the first few times, but he gets darker each time. It's becoming scary." Jinora said, shrinking back in her chair.

"Darker how?" Korra asked. "Like darker as the light is dimmer or because he seems more evil or something?"

"Both. We used to talk on a mountain about things I can't remember, but now the sky is darker and he looks angry and scary."

The Avatar frowned. Shifting her chair around the kitchen's small table, Korra squeezed Jinora in a comforting hug. "We'll talk to Silver and the others about it again later. Maybe Silver found something."

Jinora smiled hopefully and the two finished their food in comfortable silence. The rest of the early morning, until the sun rose, Korra spent doing her usual bending drills. She had managed to push her control of water to be able to manipulate plants as well and had grown good at it. Since she already knew all the movements and was now accustomed to her spiritual powers, Korra was nearing the end of her waterbending training.

When Silver awoke, she found Korra and Jinora engaged in a playful sparring match, but despite their smiles and laughs, the First Avatar could clearly see the dark rings below the girls' eyes.

"Good morning." Silver greeted. "I guess you guys already ate breakfast. I'm sorry to tell you that I still haven't found anything out about why you've gotten these dreams. Best I can figure is that Korra is growing more in touch with her Spiritual side, but Jinora's have me stumped."

"It's okay. My Auntie Kya's special tea didn't work, nor did her incense or that weird hippy lullaby." Jinora said. She didn't mind that they didn't work though, as the tea tasted funny, and the incense made her sneeze.

"Still, it is worrisome. Tenzin is pulling his beard out worrying about you both." Silver said.

"Well yeah, Jinora is his kid and it'd be a problem if the Avatar passed out whilst doing something important." Korra joked.

Silver rolled his eyes. "I think he'd be more worried about you passing out anywhere, regardless of what you're doing. He thinks the world of you, especially since your spiritual side has bloomed a lot."

Korra smiled. "Tell me about it… Ever since he and his siblings learnt I could talk to Aang in my head, they pester me with questions. Did you know Tenzin asked me to ask Aang what he should wear to Tarrlok's campaign dinner."

Silver laughed at the thought but was reminded by the mention of Tarrlok. Republic City had lost faith in its council after the trouble with the Dark Spirits and Equalists, so they decided to elect one of the council members as President of the United Republic, to make the final decision on all city matters. Tenzin had declined to run for it, as had the Southern Tribe's councilman. The runners were Tarrlok (backed by Tenzin), the Fire Nation's Raiko and the Earth Kingdom's Yuik.

Thinking of how Tarrlok was doing with Kai still in his body, Silver and the younger girls went to spend the morning with the others, who were all eating breakfast. In the time since the Equalist revolution, Kya, Bumi, Iroh and Noatak had become common sights at the breakfast table. Despite his past, Noatak had mostly earned Team Avatar's trust back with his hard work with the city's children and his leadership of the anti-Triad Taskforce, consisting of former Equalists, all trained to take out benders.

Lin was a rare sight, now that she was chief again, but she had elected to visit that morning.

"So Chief, how long before we can start getting proper patrols in the field?" Mako asked. He, Bolin and Tahno were all in the police academy, but had been fast tracked for early graduation for their work on Team Avatar.

"You can probably start getting patrol duty in the easier districts within a few weeks. Don't be too quick to get in the lime light rookie; you'll make yourself a target." Lin reminded him.

"I know Mako's a hothead, but I kind of agree with him here. I want to start getting my hands dirty with some real crooks." Tahno smiled.

Lin rolled his eyes and Bolin frowned. "Hey now, we shouldn't be so quick to rush. Not all of us can shoot lightning or summon magical bird arms!"

Asami laughed. "Relax Bo, you're going to be in the Metalbender Police Force! That's the best of the best. Plus, Korra's going to be needing a new playmate when she starts her earthbending training." The heiress winked. Despite her father being released and his public name still in good standing, Asami had elected to stay with her team mates.

Korra and Bolin blushed at the comment. "A training partner is serious! He's not a playmate." Korra quipped.

"Sure Korra, whatever you say." Asami playfully patted Korra's back and the air kids laughed as Korra turned a deeper shade of red.

"Hey, leave pops alone, you know he got really sensitive when he became a girl." Bumi said, looking serious despite the ludicrous comments.

"Dad was actually more sensitive than Korra… I don't know if that says more about him or Korra…" Kya thought, remembering her father's more childish moments.

Korra stared of into a space for a second before focusing on Kya. "Your dad told me to tell you that he isn't sensitive." She said, looking a bit irritated. Tenzin's siblings were entertaining when it came to their teasing each other and making jokes, but Korra's tiredness made her less susceptible to their humour. Tenzin was obviously getting tired of it too, as he changed the conversation to a more serious tone.

"Now Korra; your parents, Pema and I have been discussing Jinora and you, more specifically your condition. Since you've both had a lot to do recently with training in bending and spiritual arts; we've decided that it may be best for you to have a vacation."

Korra blinked. "Whoa…Tenzin is suggesting a vacation? Never thought I'd see the day. Jokes aside, this is great! I could use a break."

Jinora smiled. "Yay! Can we all go somewhere? Like all of Team Avatar?"

Tenzin shrugged. "I'm not sure. Do any of you want to come?"

Silver smiled. "I'm coming, just in case the nightmares keep coming. I can restore their energy if they get too sleep deprived."

Mako, Bolin and Tahno looked to Lin, hoping that she would excuse them from the academy for a while. Lin responded by grinning. "You boys can take the vacation, and I'm having a week off too! Damn election security is giving me more stress than ever."

The boys cheered and Asami giggled at them. "I'd like to come along too, if you don't mind."

Tenzin smiled. "Of course, the more the merrier! Does that mean everyone is coming?"

"Sorry, but I need to stay in the city. If Lin is leaving, it would be dangerous if we both left." Iroh said. Despite the Military of the Republic being under the control of the council; with the elections happening, the young general was effectively in charge.

"I'm not leaving either. Tarrlok's health is still bad after the business with Tan, and I need to keep an eye on him." Noatak said simply, not looking away from his breakfast.

Korra pouted. "I can understand Iroh staying, but Tarrlok's a big boy! He can look after himself. This would be a good chance for you to bond with Team Avatar!"

Noatak frowned. Korra had been very insistent on making Noatak a member of the team; treating him as a friend after the good deeds he performed outweighed the bad. Korra seemed to be a very simple minded person when it came to morality, with it all coming down to good deeds vs bad deeds. "Not this time Korra. Maybe next time."

Korra lit up and Silver laughed. The former equalist leader usually called Korra "Avatar" so being called by her own name by him was considered a victory for the girl.

"Daddy, where are we going?" Ikki asked. "Are we going to ride a Lion Turtle? Ooh! Or going to the Spirit World? Ooh Ooh! Or the MOON!?"

"No Ikki, nothing so fanciful. Tonraq has suggested visiting the South Pole for the Glacier Spirit Festival, and then I thought we'd visit the Air Temples. Mixing a study trip with a vacation is a practical way of learning without too much stress." Tenzin smiled.

Korra grinned. "The Glacier Spirit Festival? I can't wait! The last time I went to it, it was when I was four. The White Lotus would never let me go…"

Tonraq laughed. "Then we'll be sure to have a good time. Your uncle and cousins will be there too; if you can stomach them." he muttered the last part under his breath.

Korra caught the last part of the comment and frowned. She knew that her father and uncle didn't get on, and truth be told, she was creeped out by her cousins… Still she hoped they'd all get along and enjoy the trip. The look on Senna's face showed that she was thinking the same.

"Well if everyone is in agreement, I think we should get packing! We'll be leaving tomorrow morning at sunrise." Tenzin smiled.

Silver smiled too, looking forward to having a real vacation for the first time in…well, ever. Her enthusiasm was spoiled by an odd feeling of foreboding.

'I wonder if something is going to happen on this trip…'

* * *

**Avatar Extra**

**Trivia!**

**1. The Original version of this story had Necros as the villain for Book 2, but that was before the Show's book 2 was aired. Necros will be returning in Book 3.**

**2. Unalaq, Desna and Eska all appeared in Book 4 of the Original story, which was before the Show's second season. Because Eska didn't have an official name, i avoided referring to her directly. Also, because their personalities were not revealed, I made some up.**

**3. This book features some of the longest non-finale chapters i've ever written. Many chapters reach 3000 to 4000 words, which is a lot more than my usual 2000 limit.**

**4. The second of this story's "Big Three" villains is introduced in this book. Necros, Hao and the soon to be introduced character will be Korra's main foes.**

**5. One of the major characters in this book is an OC that was created by a reader and friend of mine. He'll play a role in future books and will be a potential Love Interest for Korra. This character's creator is also helping me to write Book 6, in the same way Rikachan helped me write the Original Book 3.**


	32. Chapter 2 Glacier Spirits Festival PT1

**Hi Loyal friends and readers!**

** The plot gets rolling a bit faster in this story and the first of the plot significant OC's will be introduced!**

**TOP 5 PAIRINGS:**

**5. Korrasami  
****4. Linorra  
3. Tahnorra  
****2. Makorra  
****1. Borra**

**A lot of Korra love over the christmas break. Because the primary relationship in Book 1 was Tahno, Bolin will take up that position in this book, with Mako in book 3, Asami in Book 5 etcetera.**

**The final chapter of Book 5 decides Korra's ultimate pairing, as well as the others.**

**ANY WAY I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPTER!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

**OC CHARACTER AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER BELONGS TO TSILIVIA 22**

* * *

**The First Avatar**

Book 2: Envy

Chapter 02: Glacier Spirits Festival PT1

The trip to the South Pole from Republic City took a few hours by Air Ship, but it was well worth it for the gang when they finally arrived. Most of Korra and the Air Family's luggage was left on board, as they'd be heading to the Southern Air Temple after the festival, but everyone else moved their things to Korra's family home, which was situated in a small village like suburb outside of the South Tribe's Capital City; Lacean City.

"Your house is so cute!" Asami smiled, scurrying about the small home as Korra and Senna watched.

"Not as fancy as the temple or your father's house, but it's home." Senna smiled.

"I like these more rustic, cultural places more than big empty mansions. Korra, can I see your room?" Asami asked.

Korra laughed. "Sure. I haven't actually been in there since I was a little girl. But we are staying there tonight."

"Like a sleepover. Cool." Asami grinned widely and went through the simple cloth doorway into Korra's room. Senna smiled and turned to Korra.

"Tenzin said that his family, Lin and the boys would be staying at an inn in the main city. Is Silver staying here with us?"

Korra blinked. "I don't think so. I thought you didn't like her."

Senna frowned. "I didn't before but I trust her now. She's done a lot for you and your friends. Even Mako and Lin trust her now."

"Glad to hear it." A familiar voice said as Tonraq and Silver came into the house.

Senna scowled and gave an angry look to Tonraq, who was scratching his head with a guilty smile. "Yes well…I'll still be keeping an eye on you. You can stay with Korra and Asami in Korra's old bedroom."

Silver chuckled as Senna passed by her, dragging Tonraq behind her. "You're mom's a real tigress!"

Korra laughed. "Tell me about it! She's scarier than dad by a lot. The White Lotus wouldn't have let them visit me at all if my mom hadn't beaten a bunch of them up." Korra said, smiling fondly at the memory.

Shortly after putting their stuff in Korra's room and teasing her about the teeth marks in everything (she insisted it was Naga, but it was clearly a lie), the three girls went into the city, which was busy preparing for the festival. They heard a loud noise coming from the docks and simultaneously thought 'Meelo". When they got to the docks, Silver, Korra and Asami burst out laughing.

The rest of Team Avatar was surrounding a bald sailor, with Meelo's jaws clamped tightly over his head. "Get him off me! I'm sorry!" the sailor yelled.

"Meelo, let him go! He didn't mean to bump you!"

"Death to the enemies of Emperor Meelo!" the airbender boy yelled, his voice muffled.

Pema eventually contained her laughter enough to hand Rohan to Ikki and pull Meelo off, leaving red lines in the man's head from where his teeth had dragged.

"Thank the spirits! I thought airbenders were mellow! I can't wait to get back to the North…"

"Neither can we." Came a monotone voice.

Korra shuddered and her father's expression went hard. The sailor's ship had been the same one to bring Korra's Uncle and Cousins to the South.

A taller and slender man with a stern expression and fine water tribe clothing was flanked on each side by a pair of nearly identical teens. They both walked with a slight hunch and kept their hair and clothes identical as their faces. The only noticeable difference was the eye make-up and tied up bangs on the female twin.

Stepping between her uncle and friends, Korra nervously introduced them all. "Guys, these are my Uncle Unalaq and my cousins, Desna and Eska. Uncle, these are my friends from Team Avatar."

"I am well aware of the identities of Tenzin and Lin Beifong. But who are the rest of these…children." Unalaq asked, his expression disapproving.

Mako stepped forward to offer his hand. "My name is Mako. Bolin over there is my brother. We were in the same pro-bending team as your niece, and now we're Team Avatar members and trainee police officers. Tahno over there was a member of rival team, but now he's a Team Avatar member and a cop."

"I see… Well, Police Officers are certainly more reputable that pro-benders. And who is the young lady?" Unalaq looked to Asami.

"I'm Asami Sato. Mako's girlfriend and a friend of Korra's. My father is Hiroshi Sato, owner of Future Industries."

"Ahh, a noble woman. Much more fitting for my niece. I would hope a person of high station would be able to help my niece understand the importance of her station; specifically the spiritual importance."

Tonraq and Tenzin exchanged irritated looks. "Korra has done very well with her Spiritual development in the recent months." Tenzin said proudly.

Unalaq raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she had; but that was after being knocked back to square one by that other Avatar…Silver, wasn't it?"

Silver smiled, though her eyes and posture were clearly angry. She stepped forward to offer her own hand. "Hi, I'm the other Avatar, Silver. Nice to meet you." she lied.

Unalaq stiffly shook her hand. "So you are still loitering around. At least the other Avatars had the good grace to die before interfering with their successors."

"Uncle! Without Silver, I may never have beaten Tan or the Equalists! Even with only waterbending, I'm more powerful than I ever was! And I can talk to Aang now that my spirit side is stronger!" Korra interfered, fearing another argument.

"If you had been raised under my tutelage, like I suggested, then you'd be able to speak to them all! I told Tenzin and my brother not to trust the White Lotus, but they didn't listen, and your progress has been suffering for it."

"Father, maybe we should leave such subjects alone for now. Korra has been trying hard with what she has, and is hoping to enjoy the festival." Desna said. Korra smiled gratefully at him; despite his often arrogant nature, he was more kind spirited to Korra than Eska was.

Unalaq sighed and placed a hand on Korra's shoulder. "Yes, I apologise. Considering everything, you have grown well, and your new spiritual side is coming along well. Let's enjoy the festival."

Korra nodded. "It should be fun. Eska, Desna, let's go get some lunch before the festival begins."

"very well. I am partial to the greasy food you have in the south." Eska said, a small upward curve at the corner of her mouth being her equivalent of a smile.

As the three water tribe teens passed the rest of the group to go into town, Bolin whistled. "Wow, are all the girls in Korra's family hot?"

Mako smirked. "You do know that Desna is a guy, right?"

"What? Eska is girl though, right?"

"Yes Bo, she's a girl."

Bolin slicked his hair back. "Then I'm game."

A short distance ahead, the three cousins heard the conversation, with Korra going bright red, Eska smiling more noticeably and Desna sulking.

"Do I look like a girl or something?" he asked.

"No, Bolin's just a little dense. Ignore him." Korra said, trying to ignore that her best guy friend thought she was hot. It brought back unpleasant memories… Eska on the other hand looked happy.

"That Bolin seems to be an odd little turtle duck. I think I shall make him mine."

"Whatever floats your boat Eska…"

After a few hours passed and the sun began to go down, the lights of the festival began to shine throughout the city, as the whole place came alive with the colours of the aurora and the traditional folk music of the Water Tribes. The parks were packed full of families watching and playing in the carnival like festivities. Korra herself was quickly swept up in it, feeling like a kid again as she ran back and forth between all the booths, eating cotton candy and various fried foods on sticks.

Korra ended up spending much of the festival with the airbender kids, winning prizes and playing the various games. She did well, until she hit a particular game that she just couldn't win.

"Knock down all the bottles and you win a prize." The teller said, smiling a crooked smile.

Korra tried multiple times to knock them all down, but no matter how many times she tried, the ball just bounced off the bottles. Asami, Mako and Tahno watched her try a dozen times.

"I think this game is rigged." Asami muttered. Korra eventually gave up and walked back to her friends.

"Either my luck ran out, or this game is unbeatable!" she complained.

Tahno and Mako looked at each other, issuing their silent challenge. First one to win the game and impress the girls wins!

The two boys quickly but down their money and began throwing the balls with all their might, trying to topple the seemingly flimsy pyramid of bottles, but they never managed to knock more than one or two off their pedestal. The girls and airbender kids watched with amusement as the boys got more frustrated.

From a short distance away, a young man walked through the festival, hands in his pockets and smiling at the atmosphere around him. This man was waiting for the fireworks to start, as he loved watching the colourful explosions of fire, but as soon as he noticed the ruckus caused by Mako and Tahno, he chuckled. He was only a few months older than the boys. Smiling and about to continue on his way, his eyes noticed Korra and as soon as they did, he froze. Those eyes, that face…the laugh.

It was unmistakeable.

"K-Korra." He muttered.

Pulling his sleeves up, he marched over to the bottle booth and surprised both Mako and Tahno when he roughly slammed a single Yuan on the owner's desk. The creepy booth owner handed a single rubber ball to the man and without stopping to aim or wind up the throw, he chucked it with all of his might at the pyramid of bottles.

Instantly, it smashed through the bottles, shattering the glass and turning the pyramid into a pile of broken glass. With the pyramid brought down, it was clear that the bottles had been melted together from behind, with a few left loose to make the game appear possible. Cracking his knuckles, the man took the owner's money box and sneered at him.

"Next time I catch you ripping off kids, I'll light you on fire. Now scram." He threatened, lighting his hands on fire to show he meant business. The owner of the booth shuddered and nodded, before quickly running from the festival.

The small crowd that had gathered applauded, shouting their condemnations at the booth owner while commending the young man.

Mako and Tahno both looked surprised. "You must be strong to be able to do that." Mako remarked, still shocked.

"Not really. My name is Azun, I used to work as a welder for Varrick Industries. When you spend enough time welding, you learn where the weak links are." The newly introduced Azun said. Azun looked like a fire nation/water tribe mix. He had the darker skin and dark brown hair of the water tribe, but his amber eyes and firebending came from the fire nation. His hair was messy and reached his shoulders, while his body was slender, with some clearly defined torso and arm muscles.

Korra smiled. "Well I'm glad you came along. I wasted all my money on this stupid thing."

Azun chuckled. "Not a problem Korra." He said, reaching into the booth and pulling down a giant Appa plushy, handing it to Korra.

The young Avatar took the giant toy with a big smile and a giggle, before noticing something. "Wait, how did you know my name? We've never met."

Azun frowned. "Wait, so you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

The firebender shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I was uh…on the ship that took you to Republic City." He lied.

Korra seemed to buy it though, and Asami chuckled. "Did you say you used to work for Varrick Industries?"

"I still do. I used to be a welder, now I'm one of Varrick's personal entourage. You're Asami Sato, right? If you want, I could set up a meeting. He's enjoying the festival, but he's been mentioning that he wanted to see you or your father. He'd flip if he knew you were right in the city."

Asami beamed. "that would be perfect! Can we go now? I've heard so much about him, I can't wait!

Azun laughed. "Sure you can. Let's go!"

And without another word, the Azun led the girls, Mako and Tahno to where Varrick was spending the festival.

As they went, Mako spotted Bolin with Eska and smiled. "Careful little bro, that one is going to be trouble." He muttered to himself.

If only Mako knew…

* * *

**AVATAR EXTRAS**

**Trivia!**

**1. Azun is the second original character introduced that was created by another writer, with Kye Akari being written by Doran Maya. Azun's primary role in this book is Korra's support in the latter chapters and someone to help me develop Varrick into a more interesting character, by my own opinion.**

**2. I took a lot of creative license when making my version Varrick. He's still as eccentric, but he is less of a greedy jerk, doing the bad things he does in order to find a solution to war, which is a personal thing to both him and Azun in this story.**

**3. This Book had more rewrites and alterations than any book i've ever written. I rewrote the entire plot and chapter plan several times; first to accommodate Azun, who wasn't in the original. Then I wanted to include more Jinora, and add a bit more fleshing out to my world and so on and so on.**

**4. Because all seven books contain the Black Spirits, while only the original fourth book had them all in, aspects of the Fourth Book have been sprinkled throughout all seven of the new ones. This is most easily seen with this book's Black Spirit.**

**5. About halfway through writing this book, a reader mentioned how much I reference Okami the game because of all the Japanese mythology. Part of this is also to do with the Gods and Divine Spirits, who have a motif from different world cultures. Raava's motif is japanese and Vaatu's is the Dark Angels in Christianity. Other Gods that will be introduced will have greek, roman, nordic, hindu, buddhist and many other motifs. **

**BONUS FACT: The Capital of the Southern Water tribe; Lacean city was created by combining La the Divine Spirit of the Ocean with the word Ocean.**


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